Encore Lover
by voodooprincess1331
Summary: They say that high school relationships don't really last too long after the speeches end and the caps soar through the sky. I beg to differ on that. [NaruHina] [Backcourt Lover's sequel]
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter One_

_Prologue: _

They say that high school relationships don't really last too long after the speeches end and the caps soar through the sky. I beg to differ on that. It's not that I'm ignorant to the fact that many relationships - be they romantic or platonic - are apt to fade away when the people don't see one another on a daily basis. However, I believe that my experience is an exception.

It's been seven years since I had graduated from high school with the man who would later become my husband, and with the couple who agreed to be our first-born son's godparents. In other words, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and I had graduated seven years ago, and pressed on with our lives. Of course, the day after graduation, I was secretly engaged to Naruto, who saved up enough money five months later to buy a diamond ring and make our engagement public and official. I was so happy when we were engaged, because it was like living the dream that I thought would never come true.

Before we got married, Naruto and I moved into an apartment of our own, he leaving his parents and I leaving Neji and Tenten. Before the summer was over, though, Sasuke came to me with a proposition: he told me about his future plan to major in business with a minor in music, and to open his own instrumental store and studio. Then, he told me the part most relevant to my life; he told me that he wanted me to be the strings specialist, and that - if I agreed to it - he would send me to America to attend Julliard, a high-ranking college specialized in the arts. He told me that he would want me, regardless of my college education, but the college was his thanks to me for staying with him when Sakura was having complications with Senri.

I wanted so badly to go to college, but this was terrifying - to have a friend pay so much money for me to go, and in another country, at that. Naruto and I talked it over with him, and we decided that I would go, but I would not stay on campus. Naruto would come with me, and we would rent an apartment there while I studied. Because the semester had already started, we decided that I would begin next year.

So, in between that time and the time that I was supposed to ship myself over to America, Naruto and I made our vows to be together forever, sealing our promise with golden bands that decorate our left ring fingers. Our wedding was small, nothing flashy, which best suited us, I believe. We were not ones to show off or spend a handful of money that neither one of us had.

Sakura and Tenten had a blast organizing the moment that every woman dreams about, and they were with me every step of the way. Sometimes, Kushina would tag along with us, especially on the days that we would go dress shopping. Sakura was so thankful for Itachi during the planning period, because he had agreed to take Senri off of her hands. Sasuke, of course, was with my - at the time - fiancé.

As the days drew nearer and nearer to the day where Neji would escort me down the aisle, I remember feeling myself growing dizzy and nauseous a lot. I was so nervous, because I wanted Naruto so much and I loved him to the point of no end. He was the person who kept me going, even when hell shot up from the ground, and there was no way that I would ever be able to repay him for everything that he had done for me. The only thing that I could even begin to do was be a good wife. I would take care of him, and we would have beautiful babies one day.

The nerves that bubbled inside of me seemed to make me weightless, yet my feet continued to remain on the ground. But the day that I had to walk down the aisle, even though I felt like I was going to swoon, Neji was there. He let me squeeze his arm so tightly, that I believe there may have been indents from my fingertips in his skin. Though he didn't say anything about it, so I didn't bring it up.

"_I will never let you fall,"_ he had murmured in my ear so lightly before the doors had opened, and, because he was there, I felt better. In all honesty, I didn't know what I would have done, had he not been walking by my side the entire way. A part of me thought that I would become so nervous that I would turn and run away, while the other part of me was convinced that I would have lost consciousness.

But I didn't. Rather, Neji handed me away to Naruto, and we exchanged our vows and placed rings on one another's finger, and we kissed and strolled happily up the aisle. People threw rice and flower petals at us, and I tossed my bouquet of lilies over my head before leaving the room. Of course, Sasuke had told me what he was planning on doing, and so I intentionally threw them in his direction. Luckily, he was the one who caught them, and he fell down to one knee and bestowed upon Sakura the bouquet and a rather large diamond ring.

I have had so many moments in my life that have made me blissful to the point of endless tears. That was one of those moments. Sadly enough, though, we could not stay behind for the newly engaged couple. My new husband and I were off to Shuzenji for our honeymoon, where we stayed for almost a month; the only reason we could was due to the wedding present that the Uchiha family had given us. They told us that if we wanted to stay longer, all we had to do was call.

Sex came easily to us during that month, and I couldn't help but laugh and remember the comment Naruto made a while ago about Sasuke and Sakura's sex life, about how they were always doing it. It was easy to understand, now, especially since we both had more experience with one another. Not to mention the fact that we were alone and didn't have to concern ourselves with disruption.

It was April by the time we had returned to Konoha, and we got to see everybody again; it felt like forever since I had seen my family and friends. It was funny, though, to think of Minato and Kushina as my parents. I had gotten better at video games, and so that was a favorite pass time whenever we visited.

When the summer faded in, I started getting really sick, and I couldn't explain why. Originally, I thought that I was just a bit scared to be leaving the country to go to college in America. However, in July, I found out that I was pregnant. Everybody was so happy, and when I told Naruto, he immediately constricted me in one of the most irresistible hugs. We were having a baby.

So, I ended up not going to college, but Sasuke still wanted me to work in his business, so when he got his degree and opened up the store, he hired me right away.

That was six years ago.

OoO

"Bad ass!" Suigetsu Hozuki shouted out after I let my viola fall to my hips. Lowering myself carefully back onto the stool below me, I couldn't help but to smile and laugh a bit, yet the blush in my cheeks still had not gone away. Despite the fact that I've been with so many wonderful people over the past decade, I still couldn't stop myself from getting nervous over the little things, and I concluded that the blood in my body must have a one-way course leading to my cheeks.

"Suigetsu," Sasuke leaned on the wall opposing myself and took a sip of water from a plastic bottle. "How many times to I have to tell you: just because we can't see or hear the people outside doesn't mean that they can't see and hear everything that we do."

"Pfft," he blew air out of his mouth rudely, but all of us within the studio knew that it was all in the form of a good-humored joke. We were always like this: work was not really work for us, because we enjoyed doing it.

_Mikoto's Music _was home to all of its employees, and Sasuke really connected with us. In the back of the store, there was a studio that we often migrate into when we aren't busy. In this studio, we cannot see or hear anything that is going on outside of the room, but anybody within the store can see and hear us. This studio was designed by Sasuke himself, in order to attract the public to try their hand at an instrument. If the community sees local people playing beautiful music, then they may become curious and wonder if they, too, can be as good as we are.

I have been working here for three years, starting the very first day the store opened. Originally, it was just Sasuke and me, who were trying to get it started. While we worked on ordering a vast variety of different instruments, Sakura and Naruto aided in putting out employment articles around town, trying to get the word out that we needed musically talented individuals, especially those with college educations. Because of the hard work of ourselves and our spouses, we were able to hire a decent staff that quickly became a second family to us.

Suigetsu is a loudmouth guy who is very critical of the things going on around him. He came here in search of the job, wanting to specialize in the stringed instruments, specifically guitar and bass. Suigetsu is our age, and he had graduated from Toho Gakuen around the same time that Sasuke had graduated from Meiji University. When it came to the bass, he was a genius, despite the fact that he was lazy and did almost everything halfway. When we all gathered together in this studio, he switched off between the bass and the guitar, depending on what the piece of music called for.

Yahiko Hashimoto was a man that we had hired who specializes in percussion who had come to Konoha looking for a job like this with his girlfriend, Konan Teruya. The couple had gone to Shobi and had graduated in the same year, and Sasuke and I believed that it would be nice to hire both of them. After all, they both had graduated with a degree in music and were looking for jobs, while we were searching for people with such a degree to hire. In the studio, Yahiko generally took over the drums, claiming a set that we had ordered at the beginning of _Miko__to's Music_'s story. Konan, on the other hand, was a very classy lady who could play the cello exceptionally well. She, however, typically took the role of watching the store when we all went back in the studio.

Nagato Uzumaki - who I later found out was a cousin of Naruto's on his mother's side - came into the store, looking to specialize in brass instruments. He had graduated from Tokyo College of Music, and it was almost too good to be true for him; he had attended the same school as Konan and Yahiko since middle school, and had separated for college. The three of them were reunited, thanks to Sasuke, and he knew that he was going to hire Nagato, along with the young couple from Shobi. When we go back into the studio, Nagato acts as a backup guitarist, or, if the music calls for it, he plays any sort of brass instrument.

"Even still," Suigetsu continued, not listening to his superior's scold; what else was new? "You can't help but yell out and catcall whenever Hinata tears it out on that viola!"

"You're setting a bad example for the baby," Nagato reprimanded our outspoken bassist, his eyes flashing to the large bulge that took over my entire abdomen. "Do you really want that poor child to come out with a sailor's mouth?"

Yahiko's drumsticks clinked together as he rested them on top of the snare drum. "Speaking of the baby, when are you due, Hinata?"

Oh no, all eyes were on me. You would think that I would be used to this by now, after three years of standing out as Konoha's delicate violist. I guess that old habits won't die as hard as they say; I don't think that I will ever become as confident as I want to be. Even still, I will work hard, because I will never give up.

"She should be coming any day now," I murmured, touching my left fingertips to my stomach and stroking my baby daughter's home. Within my belly, I could feel her kicking, and I could remember Sakura's complaints when she was pregnant with Senri: it's like they're practicing to be a kick boxer. While she isn't so bad, her older brothers gave me a terrible time.

"Have you and Naruto decided on a name yet?" Sasuke set his guitar down, leaning its head on the wall at an angle to where the instrument wouldn't come toppling over.

I bit my lip a little bit, almost too excited to greet my daughter into the world. "We're thinking Megumi, because both Naruto and I were hoping to have a girl this time, and her name would mean 'blessing.'" Yes, she definitely was a blessing, whether or not she was a boy or a girl. First and foremost, I would pray for the safety and health of our baby.

Sometimes I can't help but think about what I would do if I had a complication, like what Sakura had gone through, and I just...I don't think that I would be able to bear it. The fear that I would have for my child, if he or she was in such a terrifying danger. Not to mention that I'm not as strong as Sakura is, and I don't think that my body would be able to hold on if I had gone through exactly what she did. I never tell anybody that these thoughts slip into my mind from time to time, but I can't help but wonder if Sasuke can see it in my eyes - see the exact same pain in my eyes that he recognized from his own suffering. He hasn't said anything to me, but sometimes, it's not about the things that people say that make a difference.

"We're going to have to talk about maternity leave, then," Sasuke spoke up, breaking me from my horrifying thoughts, of which I internally thanked him for. When my mind wandered in such a way, I found it hard to break my conscience from the topic. My eyes flickered to him, and they perceived him nod his head at me only slightly. A bit dazed, I unconsciously nodded back at him, pursing my lips only for a moment before turning my attention back down to my baby belly.

"You know, Hinata," Yahiko spoke up, clearing his throat and scratching the back of his head, his fiery spikes flopping around in an unruly manner, "you're really glowing right now. And not with that usual red tint." He laughed out loud, causing that "usual red tint" to flame up into my face again in embarrassment.

"It's the glow of motherhood," Suigetsu lowered himself onto the floor and fell backwards onto his backside, reaching to the side of the studio for his abnormally large travel cup. That boy drank water like a whale. "I sure hope that hubby of yours is taking good care of you."

I smiled at the thought of my husband and almost turned away so that I could stifle an exuberant chuckle. Every day, Naruto would bring our two sons - Usui and Tadashi - with him and the three of them would walk from our apartment to _Mikoto's Music_ to come pick me up. On the days where weather was not so great, I would tell Naruto not to worry about me, that I would ride home with either Sasuke or Yahiko. I can tell, though, that when I do catch a ride with another man, Naruto becomes consumed in jealousy, as if I would even be attracted to another man. In my world, the only man that really and truly exists is Naruto. The rest of them are all people to me, their gender not really mattering to me. A part of me acknowledged the gender of others, while the other part really didn't care. When it came to people, I have to say that I spend the most time with guys, and have done so since Sasuke and I became friends in high school. But that doesn't mean that Naruto has any competition. As far as I'm concerned, none of them can ever make me feel the way I feel about my husband, which is why I married him.

"Yes." I turned back to Suigetsu and nodded, nibbling on the inside of my cheek. "He takes great care of me, and he's such a loving father to our children." Seeing Naruto interact with our sons always gave me a beautiful and warm feeling inside, because it was clear as day that he truly loved them with everything he had. He actually cried when Usui was born, because that was the day that he became a father.

"Wasn't he spending the day with Sakura today and helping her out?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow and folded his arms, turning his attention to me. Yeah, he was right, and a part of me completely trusted Naruto, but the other part couldn't help but remember that Naruto used to have the biggest crush on the pinkette who had become my best friend in our junior year at Konoha High.

"Yes, I believe he mentioned that to me this morning. He said that Sakura wasn't feeling too well, and that he was going to help her take care of Takumi."

Takumi was the cutest little thing; he is Sakura and Sasuke's second son, who was born about three months ago. The way that Senri interacted with his baby brother was precious, because he was old enough to know the fragility of a baby. Senri was proud of his little brother, and he loved to hold baby Takumi whenever his parents were around to watch and make sure that the baby wasn't dropped.

"Did he say that he was going to pick Senri up from school?" Sasuke asked, attempting to be nonchalant, but I could tell that he was concerned that Naruto forgot about his first son. My eyes rolled upwards to the ceiling as I thought back to this morning, before Naruto and I parted ways.

"I think your brother was going to pick him up," I said, vaguely remembering Naruto mentioning something about Itachi. For some reason, I couldn't remember our exact conversation this morning. I'm suffering from pregnancy brain. For a quick moment, I glanced at the hands on my watch and noticed that it was almost time for the store to close, so Konan would be invading us sometime soon to let us know.

Sasuke stood up with his cell phone in his hand, his fingers punching away at the keys as he typed a text message to somebody - probably either Naruto, Sakura, or Itachi; somebody who would know the whereabouts of Senri. At his lead, the rest of us pushed ourselves to our feet, me, of course, moving at a more gradual pace, due to the extra weight breaking my back. All of the guys passed me in their trek to the door of the studio, but Sasuke waited for me to lay my viola on the stool securely and follow the rest of our family out the door.

Not paying any attention to where I was going, I ran into somebody, and that person grabbed onto my forearms securely as I almost stumbled backwards. I turned my eyes to the person that I had collided with, and it was like staring into a mirror. Neji held me securely as I planted my feet firmly on the ground and regained my balance.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, nostalgically remembering all of the times that he would come to pick me up after the guys finished practicing basketball in high school. Thinking about it now, that was the last time that he had been somewhere, waiting for me to arrive so that he could drive me home.

"Naruto called me and asked if I could come pick you up. He said that Sakura was asleep, and he didn't want to wake her up," my mirror-image cousin explained to me, and I nodded, wondering what the purpose was. I could have just gotten a ride to the Uchiha house from Sasuke, and Naruto and I could have walked home together.

"Why would he make you come to get me?" I questioned, not entirely understanding the logic of my husband. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, I'm just asking out of curiosity." My face burned as I attempted to explain myself, hoping that Neji had not taken offense to my interrogation.

"Look down," he told me, and I did, but I could barely see the floor; Megumi was in the way of that. I didn't see the point of my eyes being adverted to the floor, despite the fact that _Mikoto's_ did have very nice, smooth slate tiles. "You shouldn't be walking any sort of distance right now."

"But our apartment is only a mile from here," I argued, believing myself capable enough to walk the mile, so long as Naruto was with me.

"But you're thirty nine weeks pregnant, Hinata." Neji reached behind me and touched the small of my back, leading me through the assortment of pianos lined up beautifully in the front left of the shop. "I swear, you're developing the hardheadedness of that husband of yours."

If Neji's words were true, and I was becoming more like Naruto, wouldn't that mean that I was coming closer and closer to perfection?


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

I sighed as I rolled over onto my left hip on the sofa in the apartment that Naruto and I were raising our family in. My back ached chronically, and I was starving, but I couldn't bring myself to actually get up off of the couch and meander into the kitchen. The saddest part was: I wasn't even comfortable. That was the part about pregnancy that irritated me to no end. No matter how I layed down, I could never really be comfortable. I couldn't lay on my back, or else the pressure would break my spine. Sleeping on my stomach was out of the question, for obvious reasons. When I lay on either side, I am continuously finding myself needing to switch, because the pressure on one side of my hip will become unbearable. The very few times within the last couple months that I found myself in a comfortable position would never last, because I would typically become deathly hungry, or my bladder would be ready to burst.

Why I put myself through this a third time, I'm not entirely sure. It's not like I didn't have experience with this - after all, I did carry two other children. The thing that I was not looking forward to was childbirth. When I delivered Usui, I had passed out multiple times as a defense to guard myself from the unbearable pain that came with labor. During Tadashi's birth, I managed to keep consciousness the entire time, and so I was awake for all of the tearing excruciation that made my voice scream louder than it ever had in my entire life. Naruto's hand was bruised with my handprint afterwards, but he said that he didn't mind.

Speaking of the three men in my life, it was awfully quiet without them here right now; I wasn't entirely accustomed to it. Typically, if I wasn't keeping after my sons, then I was busy listening to the guys at _Mikoto's_ ramble on and on. This was the first moment in so long that I've had complete and one hundred percent peace and quiet. It was kind of nice, actually, but at the same time, a little eerie and unnatural.

The unearthly silence gave my brain some time to toss around thoughts that haven't crossed paths with my mind in so long.

Mom and Dad... my parents. I couldn't help but to be curious about the "what-if's" of this sensitive subject. Would they be proud of the decisions that I have made? Would my father have approved of my marriage with Naruto, and would he have walked me down the aisle with the same compassion that Neji had? Would they be like Minato and Kushina, who were so excited when their first grandson was born? I could see my mother acting with my children like she did with me, constantly hugging them and calling them the cutest little things that she had ever seen. My father, on the other hand, was harder to read, and so I couldn't assume he would have the same reaction as Mom.

The pain in my abdomen faded as the thoughts of my parents brought tears to my eyes and anguish to my heart. It had been such a long time since I had cried about the accident that took my parents away from me, and had almost consumed Neji, too. Those days were all too vivid to me, and the pain that I had felt that initial day was always brought back to my heart and soul in the same intensity. The agony ripped through my entire being, and I wondered if this kind of hurt could surpass even the pains of delivering a baby. If it didn't, then the emotional torture of my heart would come in a close second to the physical distress of childbearing.

From within my belly, I could feel Megumi squirming around, pressing her tiny little appendages into me, as if in a desperate attempt to comfort me in my time of sadness. My hand instinctively ran towards the bulge on my abdomen, and I touched the points where I felt Megumi's petite hands pushing.

"I know, Megumi," I murmured, wiping my eyes with the fleshy part of my other hand. "You don't like it when mommy cries, do you?" I forced myself to sit up, and I realized that it was practically dark outside already. I hoped that Naruto would come home soon, because I didn't want to be home alone with my thoughts; they always had the power to make me weep. Megumi jabbed her foot into the side of my womb, as if attempting to karate chop my hip with her pedal. "I know, I know," I said as I forced myself onto my feet, stretching out my arms as much as I possibly could. "I can't really say I'm home alone when you're inside me."

I believe that Megumi was going to be like her father: when it came to her peers, she was going to make herself known. She wasn't going to be like her shy mother, who stood in the background, alone for so long. That thought brought a warm smile to my face; I didn't want my daughter to suffer the same loneliness and non-existence that I did all throughout school. I wanted her to be confident, and I wished for her to be a role model for other girls, like Sakura was to me. If Megumi could be everything that I was not, I would be so happy.

Even still, no matter how strong she was or how independent she may grow to be, I could only hope and pray that her older brothers would take good care of her and protect her from harm. Her brothers, I hope, will be kind and gentle to her, and defend her, just like Neji did with me my entire life. Neji was like my older brother, and if my aspirations follow through, then Usui and Tadashi will act as Megumi's protector.

Behind my bulging uterus and crushed against my other organs, my stomach snarled at me, blaming my lack of motivation for its malnourishment. I had to laugh at myself a bit as I forced my feet to drag along the hardwood floors of the cozy little apartment that I shared with Naruto and our children.

Thinking about my current laziness reminded me of Shikamaru, who I haven't seen in awhile. Generally, I would have seen him at Christmas with Temari, who were now happily married with a daughter of their own. However, the lazy classmate that I remembered were not there this year. Christmas time was the point in the year where we all got together at Temari's house and had our annual party. This past year, we still had it at the house that she and Shikamaru shared, however he was not in attendance. His job had required him to work on Christmas Eve, and so none of us got to see him, which was sad, because this was the only time that all of us from high school got together again.

Shikamaru and Temari, as I had mentioned, had finally sealed the deal and had gotten married. I had seen them both at my wedding and at Sakura's, and we had been invited to theirs. It was quite nice, actually, to see everybody from high school getting married. It wasn't very common that all of these high school sweethearts made it passed all of the hardships of separation. They had been married for a few years before Temari had given birth to their daughter, Rie, who was definitely like her mother when playing with Senri, Usui, and Tadashi. It almost makes me laugh, just thinking about it.

Ino usually comes with Choji; despite the fact that she keeps switching back and forth between Choji and Sai, Choji continues time and time again to take her back. I can tell that he really loves Ino, and feels as though he is lucky that she cannot seem to make up her mind. In his brain, I believe, he sees that as him still being in the running for Ino's heart. They've been together for about two years now, straight, so I believe that things are going to start looking up for him. It's evident that Ino, too, really likes Choji, and so I hope that they can both find happiness together.

Kiba seems to have a different woman that he talks on and on about every year, and so I think that I am safe when I say that he is still - ...what did Naruto call it? - a player. Just like high school, he runs his mouth a little too much, and sometimes I think he didn't really learn his lesson after I broke his nose. At least he's past the point of taunting Naruto and making him angry.

Lee, still, has not found a woman for himself, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. He had time to finish college and return to Konoha to visit his favorite teacher, Gai, who used to teach us psychology in high school. Although, he did let me in on a little secret: Gai's niece is a very attractive woman, and the two of them talk on the phone at night and sometimes see one another secretly. I was so happy for him when he told me this, and I wished him the best in his pursuit of happiness.

Temari's youngest brother, Gaara, recently found himself in a relationship with a former student of his. He had gotten a degree in teaching, and he taught geology to the students at Sand Valley High. He has been teaching for three years, and he met Matsuri when she was a junior in high school. After graduation, the two fell for one another, or at least that's what it sounded like from their story. I don't know if it was directly after graduation, or if a few months had passed between.

Kankuro, the middle child, has been traveling around a lot, constructing marionette dolls for performers. Apparently, he is one of the best, when it comes to woodworking, and he also takes orders for people who want him to make them furniture. I haven't seen him for a long while.

Other than Christmas time, I didn't get to see the people that I went to highschool with, but I guess that was natural. I am very thankful, though, that Naruto and I continue to see Sasuke and Sakura on a regular basis. Without them, really, I would be nowhere within my life. I would still be working at the bookstore, making nowhere near the money that I was making by working under Sasuke. I am forever in his debt, and I was okay with that.

Speaking of Naruto, though, I couldn't help but wonder what was taking my husband so long to return home. Sasuke left _Mikoto's_ right after I did, didn't he? So he should have arrived at his house a half hour ago, and Naruto should have come back to her with Usui and Tadashi - at a maximum - ten minutes ago. The wonderful peace and quiet that had overtaken my senses initially now faded into complete loneliness, and in order to fill the void, I wandered into the kitchen and made a beeline for the refrigerator. I didn't know what was in there, and I didn't entirely care. For the last few months, everything had been tasting delicious, no matter what the combination. Last week, I had a craving for pickles and smoothies, and Naruto was kind enough to run out to buy me this strange union.

My hand tugged on the door and opened it, allowing the light to pour out of the refrigerator and into my eyes, half blinding me. My back ached whenever I leaned forward, and so I had to rest my left hand on my knee for support. The trembling aches of my vertebrae were exhausted from carrying this extra weight around, and I was surprised that they were tolerating it any further.

There was a large, heaping bowl of leftover ramen from last night calling my name on the top shelf, and I reached out for it longingly, my tongue flicking against my lips in desire. Because I knew that Naruto loved ramen, I learned how to make it myself, so that he could have the good kind at home, not the prepackaged ones. Actually, when I first made it for him, he told me that it was the best ramen had ever touched his tongue, and that couldn't have made me any happier. I had satisfied him, and I would be able to continue making the dish in different varieties, only getting better as the time passed.

It sounds strange, but the ramen that I make is really delicious cold. Good thing for me, because there was no way that I was going to take the time to throw it on the stove to heat it up. My stomach was too grouchy, and my taste buds needed to be entertained with something yummy.

On my way over to the little round table that sat in the center of our kitchen, I threw open the drawer that contained all of our utensils, most of which came from my bridal shower, and I tore out a pair of ceramic chopsticks. When I stood before the table, I took in a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for the trek ahead of me; this was always the worst part of my day, nowadays. Bending my knees to lower myself part of the way, I sat the chilly bowl of ramen down on our tiny table, practically tossing the chopsticks down with it. In order to sit down, I had to hike up my dress and force my legs into a deep squat, which caused my muscles to tremble. With my hands behind me and ready to catch, I fell backwards, putting most of my weight onto my arms, where they lowered me to sit on the floor carefully.

With a quick sigh, I moved over onto the cushion that was placed in my spot at the dinner table, and I made the palms of my hands come together in praise.

"Thank you for this meal," I said to the heavens before turning my attention to the pretty little chopsticks that lay at the bowl's feet. Their base color was a pure white that had managed to stay true through the years of use, and tiny blue dragons twisted their mighty bodies around the length of the utensil. The set had been a gift from Tenten before Naruto and I got married. She said that she looked all over for ones with a design in purple, but couldn't find one. They were beautiful, and I was honored that she tried so hard to find my favorite color.

I dug the chopsticks into the pile of noodles and tossed them around a bit within the broth, saturating them in the rich liquid. With professional fingers, I scooped up a large pile of noodles and maneuvered them into my waiting mouth, taking a bite clearly bigger than I could chew. My jaw instinctively hovered over the bowl, so that anything that missed my mouth would fall back into the pot and await round two.

_Oh my gosh,_ I licked the herbs off of my bottom lip and thought back to the accusation that my cousin had made against me today. _I am becoming more like Naruto. _I never used to take such big bites, but everytime I'm alone and starving - typically when I'm pregnant, I find - my eating habits turn for the worst.

Before I could pile a second large bite into my mouth, the door to our apartment swung open, and the peace and quiet vanished instantly, as if it had never been there to begin with. The sound of little feet pattering across the floor made me turn around to face my youngest son, Tadashi, who had skipped the removal of his shoes.

"Take off your shoes, Tadashi!" Naruto stepped on the heel of each shoe, slipping it off and leaving it in the foyer, and chased after the racing three year old.

Tadashi is the second child that was granted to Naruto and me through our love. He just turned three years old last month, and already, he's running and jumping, as if he were an acrobat. Sometimes, I fear that he will hurt himself, but Kushina continuously reassures me that this is how Naruto was when he was a little boy. His hair grew like a weed, and a part of me couldn't bring myself to cut it; it wasn't too long yet, probably about the length that I had kept mine in middle school. He had my father's chocolate locks, for sure, and he had the gray eyes that ran within my family. Apparently, while the most distinguishable characteristics are from my side of the family, his actions are identical to his father and grandmother.

Tadashi made it to my side before his father could catch him, and in all honesty, I wasn't entirely worried about his shoes. When he came running to me with open arms, how was I supposed to turn him away before embracing him in the tightest hug I could muster?

Usui, too, although more calmly than his little brother, came over to greet me as if he hadn't seen me in forever. Although, I guess to a child, all day could seem like a few forevers.

Usui had turned six this year, and he loved elementary school that he was enrolled in, or the elementary school that I had gone to when I was little. He was very small for his age, and so I think he may have gotten that from me. It was evident that he was his father's son, because he had inherited the messy blonde hair and striking blue eyes that had been passed to Naruto from his father. In his face, though, I believe that he really looks like Kushina. Much to my good fortune, he's not as rambunctious and temperamental as his grandmother; rather, he's more mellow, like Minato.

Every time I heard his name, I had to laugh, because I remembered Neji and Tenten's argument when they first thought that Naruto and I were having sex. When Usui was born, we were both stumped on a name, because we didn't want to mess up. This was our first duty as a parent, and we wanted to give our son a good name. Neji and Tenten had walked into the room to see the newborn baby, and both Naruto and I recalled their dispute and remembered how it had escalated from us having sex to giving us a son named Usui. Laughing at the memory, we both agreed that our firstborn son's name would be Usui. So, if ever he grew up not liking his name, he could blame Uncle Neji and Aunt Tenten for that.

And then, there was Naruto, who flashed the most beautiful grin at me that beamed brighter with every step he took. Those sapphire eyes swallowed me whole and engulfed me within their ocean of passion. He fell to his knees at my side and planted a tender kiss on my lips quickly, not lingering for any length of time; if he had, I doubt the atmosphere would stay child-friendly. Instead, he moved his lips to my bulge and kissed his unborn daughter lovingly.

"What took you so long?" I asked him, and he sat backwards on the floor, falling onto his backside and reaching forward to grab Tadashi by the waist. He tugged his son closer to him and dropped him within his lap so that he could take off our son's shoes. As usual, Tadashi was too energetic and wanted to continue running around the apartment. Naruto could see this, and in order to make the environment as safe as possible, he slipped Tadashi's socks off of his feet and tucked them inside of the tiny shoes. The moment Naruto let go of Tadashi, he took off running down the hall.

"We ran into Mom and Dad on the way home." Naruto chucked the shoes in the direction of the foyer and leaned his left elbow on the table. His full and undivided attention turned to me the moment Usui walked away, stalking after his baby brother. Every time I was caught in his ocean eyes, I fell in love with him over and over again. The feelings that we had had for one another in high school had not changed; if anything, they had gotten stronger since then. I had heard that the sex drive between husband and wife typically dropped after the birth of their first child, but if it was true, then it clearly didn't apply to us. I knew that after I gave birth to Megumi, I would want him to take me - after the pain subsides, of course. Sex with Naruto was something that I had rapidly become quite fond of, and I couldn't ever see myself becoming tired of it.

"Really?" I asked, taking only a fraction of the bite that I had taken when I had been alone. Despite the fact that we were married, I was still nervous around Naruto sometimes, and I didn't want to do anything that would weird him out. Eating with his table etiquette was one of those things that may concern him. Even still, it wasn't a big sacrifice. My eating habits had not been this bad until I was initially in my third trimester with Usui. "What did they have to say?"

"They were telling me about the bad weather that's going to be hitting Konoha anywhere from tonight to tomorrow.," he told me, and at first, it didn't really faze me. "Apparently, we're going to be getting a massive hurricane that may last for a few days; they're predicting that it's going to be bad, and that people won't be able to leave their homes during it."

When Megumi kicked me again, I realized the implications of the weather, coming into the realization that there was a possibility that I might go into labor during this hurricane. If it was going to be dangerous to go outside, then we wouldn't be able to get to a hospital. If that happened, I don't really know what I would do. A part of me told me to relax, that I have been through this twice already, but the other part was panicking because Naruto and I had never been by ourselves to deliver our baby.

"Mom and Dad are going to be coming over soon," Naruto told me, sensing the obvious panic that I was going into. "They're going to stay here until either the hurricane or the hurricane threat passes. I don't think that you'll go into labor during the storm, but they wanted to be over to help, just in case."

I took a deep breath in and held it for a few moments, allowing the oxygen to pass through my system and clear my fussing brain. With an exhale, I felt better tenfold, and was able to continue eating my dinner.

Minato and Kushina are going to be here, just as a precautionary measure.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

Outside of our bedroom window, the storm howled viciously in the night, keeping Tadashi from sleeping. After Naruto had put him to bed for the third time, I glanced at the clock that read three in the morning. Usui, despite the fact that his brother continued to cry throughout the night, slept like a rock, of which I was more than grateful for. Minato and Kushina shared a futon in the room that we had set up for Megumi when she was ready to be born, and whenever one of them was awake, they would check in on me to make sure I was okay.

I couldn't sleep, though. I was exhausted, clearly evident by the bags that I could practically feel drooping under my eyes, though sleep eluded me. Why? I wasn't sure. Luckily, Megumi was calm inside of me, giving her karate practice a rest for a while. Beside me, Naruto lay with his back to me, and I couldn't tell if he was sleeping or not. His breaths were so smooth and so calm, and so I was careful not to make a sound every time I had to roll over and switch hips. I wanted to reach out and touch him, hold him, but I refrained. If he was achieving sleep, then I had no right to cut him away from his dreams.

Very, oh so carefully, I inched towards the edge of the bed and slid my feet out from under the constricting sheets, allowing them to drop inaudibly to the hardwood floor beneath me. The planks under my extra weight groaned in agony as I allowed my full body to stand, and I cursed them for being so loud at this time of night. But Naruto didn't budge. I had to stifle a laugh; Usui is definitely Naruto's son. Those two could sleep peacefully in the midst of a world war.

I used every tired and aching muscle within my body to move my feet in the direction of the hallway, while continuing to stay as silent as humanly possible. A gust of wind blew by when I reached the hall, and I could hear it whistling in a taunting manner outside of the apartment door. Ignoring it, I moved into the kitchen and stood there for a moment, wondering just exactly what it was that I wanted. In all honesty, I didn't really know what I wanted, nor did I care. I just couldn't keep laying in bed trying to sleep when I knew I would not.

Flicking on the light above the sink, I was blinded and my eyes instinctively snapped shut. However, when I opened them again, the room remained dark, as if I hadn't turned on the light to begin with. But I knew that I had, because the green blotches in my vision remained for a minute after the initial blinding moment. The wind outside laughed in spite of me, and my eyebrows pulled together.

_Go ahead,_ I thought, practically taunting the storm that raged on outside. _I lived without power for weeks while Neji was in the hospital._

_That's right, Hinata,_ the passive side of me scolded the daring part that I had inherited from my husband over time. _Taunt the universe, why don't you._

"Hinata?" a voice behind me called, and I turned around suddenly, my heart racing with the sudden scare. Minato stood in the arch of the hall, leaning on the wall in exhaustion. "Are you alright?"

A breath came out of my lips in a large mass, as if I had taken in a large amount of air when I had sucked in a breath in fear. It was only Minato.

"Yes, I'm fine," I said softly, my typical, reserved and timid mask melding onto my face. "What are you doing up?"

Minato chuckled and moved toward me, into the kitchen, with his arms folded tightly across his chest. His feet were light against the floor below him, and I could barely hear his movements. I was lucky that I could see him through the darkness, or else I wouldn't have any clue where he was. I watched as he brought himself to the floor at the table, sitting on the cushion at Tadashi's spot.

"I heard you get up, so I wanted to make sure that everything was okay," he said and leaned his elbow on the table. "Had to make sure that Megumi didn't decide to come in this weather." Minato chuckled and I slowly and steadily brought myself down to sit on the cushion at my spot, holding onto Megumi carefully, as if trying my best to comfort her during this storm.

"That makes me nervous," I confessed to my father-in-law, whose tired eyes turned to me thoughtfully and his head cocked, as if asking why. I took a single breath as my thoughts began to swarm around inside of my brain and collect unwillingly. "I think that I am afraid of giving birth without the safety of the hospital. I don't know if I could live with myself if I did something wrong and my daughter had to suffer because of it."

Minato reached out and touched my overlapped hands, which guarded his granddaughter. My eyes flickered to his face that was filled with placidity and peace. Unlike myself, he was not afraid of my giving birth in this apartment; if he did, then he sure didn't show it. His skin was warm against mine, and I removed one of my hands so that I could cover his, sandwiching it within my clutch.

"That's why we're here," Minato spoke softly, gently, his words and tone comforting me in my time of unnecessary panic. Unconsciously, I could feel my eyebrows furrow and I watched as my eyelids fluttered down over my pupils, swarming my vision in darkness. I could still feel my fear there inside of me, welling up and ready to burst, however the presence of Minato and Kushina here in this apartment controlled that terror. "Believe it or not, Kushina actually helped Mikoto deliver Itachi when we were all younger."

I didn't know that. My eyes opened swiftly and watched Minato's lips curl up into a compassionate grin, clearly proud to call the beautiful, hot-tempered woman his wife. In all honesty, Kushina is a lady that I look up to the most. Smart, strong, kind, beautiful and confident. She was everything that I had always wanted to be and never was. Initially, I had hoped that I could be like her if I was around her more often, however my confidence is still drastically low in comparison. A part of me just wanted to give up on that trek, because I feel as though it will never happen. I have Naruto, and we have a beautiful and happy family. I couldn't be any happier with my life, in all honesty. However, as a human being, there is always something that I'll desire.

Footsteps came from the hall, followed by a tired yawn that was quite familiar to my ears. The sound was definitely not one of my sons, who would have a quicker pace. Instead, it was the sound of scuffing against the floorboards as the person was too lazy to pick up their feet. I knew exactly who it was, even before they rounded the corner; Minato's spitting image.

"Hinata, are you okay?" Naruto wiped his eyes and dragged himself into the kitchen, his hand flicking on the light switch that refused to work. A quick glare came from his countenance as he turned to glance back at the uncooperative switch - when, really, it was the storm's fault.

My heart beat fast whenever my name rolled off of his tongue sweet as honey and I caught my breath as he came closer to me. "Yes," I replied to him and watched closely as he sat down behind me, snaking his arms under mine and linking his fingers together on top of my belly. "I just couldn't sleep." Under my skin, I could feel Megumi punching at her father's hands, as if using him as a sparring partner. At the nape of my neck, I could feel Naruto smile warmly at the feel of his daughter's touch, and he unlocked his fingers, only to run his hand over my bulging stomach.

"Megumi, you should let Mommy rest once in awhile," he murmured to her, his voice affectionate and so tender that it warmed my heart.

The feel of his strong and gentle hands running across my aching belly sent a sensational feeling traveling up through my body. I rested my head backwards on his shoulder and my mouth opened as a breath sucked into my lungs. My body was so sore, and his touch was so ginger; his hands rubbing my bulge felt better than sex, or at least fought for the title of first place.

"That feels so nice," I breathed in, and along with my inhale, I could smell the scent of my husband. It was one of those natural aromas that I knew specifically as Naruto, however I didn't know what he smelled like. In my mind, I could connect his scent with nothing but him. He smelled like Naruto. Because he knew that what he did with a single hand sent me to heaven, he moved the other, massaging my stomach with such a tender touch.

Minato stifled a chuckle and leaned both of his elbows on the surface of the table. "I remember when Kushina was pregnant with you, Naruto," he said, the tone of his voice nostalgic. "She loved you from the very moment that she found out that she was having a baby. However she cursed being a woman when the morning sickness started, then when that was over, she cursed the aching pain that she felt."

"Does it really hurt that bad to be pregnant?" Naruto asked, the question directed at his father, who obviously had no firsthand experience with the matter, what with him being a man. However, Minato continued with what he did know from experience with his own wife.

"I don't know," he said, "but when she was in her third trimester, she begged for me to massage her back at night. In fact, a lot of times she wouldn't be able to fall asleep if I didn't. But when I did, she would fall unconscious within ten minutes."

"Men have no idea," I chimed in, completely comfortable with the two men around me. My eyes closed as the sensation of Naruto's hands took over my entire body. "First, it's morning sickness, then mood swings, not being able to concentrate, aching pain and tenderness in breasts, my back and stomach have been aching for the past three months." Because it felt as though I was complaining, I quit talking, afraid of what the two men would think.

"What about last week when you were cleaning the entire apartment?" Naruto asked me, reminding me of my unexplainable urge to make everything immaculate. "What was that all about?"

Before I could breathe in to get a word out, Minato put in his account. "Actually, Kushina did the exact same thing in her eighth month. She started cleaning the refrigerator and washing the windows while I was at work."

"Sakura did research on it," I opened my mouth and allowed the tiny words to pour out. "Apparently, it's called the nesting syndrome. Some women feel the need to clean and prepare for the baby." Naruto's fingers brushed over my navel and the greatest physical feeling that I may have ever felt washed over me, and I closed my lips, locking my jaw. I wasn't sure what kind of instinctive sounds my throat would make, but I wanted to prevent anything awkward from emerging. My body was so sore, and his soft touch made me practically melt in his hands.

Gradually, though quicker than I had imagined, I was drifting into unconsciousness right in the middle of our conversation. My eyelids felt like titanium weights that, no matter how hard I tried, would not budge against the effort I put into keeping my eyes open. Rather, they defied my will and closed shut, allowing me the peace and serenity of slumber. There was no stopping my consciousness from fading, and soon enough, the words that Naruto and Minato shared with one another escaped my brain, and I could no longer hear them.

OoO

My body ached so badly, despite the softness beneath me. That was how I have come to greet the day for the past two months: cursing the pain that came with pregnancy. Outside, I could still hear the rain pouring down like there was no tomorrow. The wind howled viciously, beating up anything within its path. I was almost afraid to look outside and see the damage that has been caused thus far. Unless it had died down while I slept, this storm has been raging since yesterday night, and it showed no signs of stopping now.

I could hear the sound of my family in the kitchen, and the moment I sat up, the smell of something sweet and delicious wafted into my bedroom and invaded my senses. I glanced around, seeing how it was still dark, despite the shades being pulled open, and I came to the conclusion that we still had not regained power. In regards to the delectable smell of breakfast, I thanked the heavens that we had a gas stove.

Throwing the sheets away from my body and forcing them onto Naruto's empty side of the bed, I managed to sit up and place my feet on the cold floor without too much trouble. Before I made my way to the kitchen, I knew that I would have to make a stop to the bathroom. As if it wasn't enough that my back was breaking, my breasts were aching, and my belly was sore; now my bladder felt as though it was going to burst. Gradually, I pushed myself completely onto my feet, sliding my soles across the floor in fatigue and gripping my back like an elder. I was a mess.

Sliding out of the door and into the hallway, the smell of food caused my mouth to salivate almost profusely within my mouth, and so I picked up the pace; the faster I made it to the bathroom, the faster I finished, which meant the quicker I could pile food into my mouth.

The moment my bladder was relieved, I turned to the sink and washed my hands swiftly yet thoroughly and exited the bathroom. As I moved closer and closer to the kitchen, my olfactory sense was invaded by quite possibly the most delicious thing I had ever smelled. Then again, everything that was edible smelled appetizing to me when I was carrying a child. My mouth was already saturated by the time I had made it into the kitchen to see Kushina standing in front of the stove, flipping pancakes professionally with a spatula that I forgot I owned.

"Do you want any help with that?" I asked her immediately as my brain processed through the darkness. She flicked her hand at me, signalling for me to go sit down at the little table with my family, who was already chowing down on from a large stack in the center of the men.

"I've got this, sweetie," she said, adding some sort of filling that I couldn't see to the batter. I guess I would find out. Normally, I would have refused her command and would have helped her anyway. However, this hunger of mine was ridiculous, and her cooking smelled so good. I couldn't resist.

All four of the cushions that were at the table were taken by the men of my family. Naruto in his, which was across from mine, Usui seated on his knees on his cushion, which was to the left of my spot, which was now occupied by Tadashi because Minato was seated in Tadashi's typical spot.

Naruto swallowed what looked to be an awfully large bite, and he moved himself off of his cushion, patting it, signalling for me to sit next to him.

"You don't have to sit on the floor," I told him as I continued to drag my feet over to the little table.

Naruto shook his head. "Like I'm going to let my wife sit on the floor, especially my wife who is about to pop." He shoved another bite into his mouth as I worked my way onto the cushion that he had sacrificed for my benefit. "What kind of husband would I be?"

Minato lifted his fork, which was filled with his next bite of pancake. "A terrible one!" I couldn't help but laugh at the father and son who were so concerned about my well being. It was nice, though, to have people who cared about me and loved me unconditionally. Upon sitting down, I didn't have to do anything. Kushina had handed a plate to Minato, who reached over Naruto and placed it in front of me, and Naruto piled three pancakes on it for me.

"Mommy!" Tadashi spoke up in his cute little voice, holding onto his heavy-duty plastic fork with a full fist. "Megumi?"

As if it was a mother's intuition, I deciphered what Tadashi was saying: when is Megumi going to get here?

"She'll be here soon," I said with a smile on my face, and Tadashi beamed innocently before continuing to rip apart his breakfast with his fork. Under the table, Naruto placed his hand on my thigh and we both exchanged a beam of excitement. Neither one of us could wait to hold our precious daughter in our arms. We have waited so long to meet her, and all I could say was "soon." In the meantime, there was breakfast in front of me and there was no way that I was going to let it go to waste. With a clean fork and knife, I sliced the short stack of pancakes in their entirety, the aroma of strawberries filling the room. So _that's_ what I saw Kushina throw into the batter. Fine by me.

Of course, the food was ten times more delicious than it had smelled, which was to be expected from something that Naruto's mother made. I didn't know how Minato stayed so thin all the time when his wife was such a great cook.

Outside, a clap of thunder sounded, and Tadashi froze in fear, tiny little goosebumps trickling over his skin. When he gained the strength to move, he ran around the table and sat in between Naruto and me, not caring if he had to sit on the floor. I reached down and grabbed onto his little hand, squeezing it tightly and reassuringly.

"Don't be scared," I murmured to my trembling son. "I'll protect you."

A second clap of thunder cracked, and lightning shone through the windows of our apartment.

OoO

After breakfast, I couldn't stand to allow Kushina clean up by herself. I aided her in gathering all of the plates and forks, and I rinsed them in the sink. Minato advised us not to run water in the sink and wash the dishes right now, since there was lightning outside. That was okay. As long as we cleaned up the table and counter, the dishes could wait.

Usui and Tadashi played cards together in the living room, despite the fact that the only game that Tadashi was familiar with was go-fish. As long as the two were content, then so was I. In order to keep them occupied, Minato and Kushina joined them..

Naruto came into the kitchen aimlessly, pressing his lips against mine passionately, and his hand held onto Megumi affectionately. I could tell, just by his embrace, that he was going to be a good father to his daughter. She would be his little girl, and he would protect her with everything he had. He reminded me of my father; despite the fact that my father was a man of few words, he would have done anything for my sake. I was happy that Naruto would do the same for our daughter, and all of our children.

"I love you," he murmured, pulling me as close as he possibly could with Megumi in the way. Instinctively, I blushed a bright red - not that he could see, but he probably knew that I was. There was not a day that I didn't fall in love with him over again. The way he holds me, his tender touch, the gentle look in his eyes when I'm drowning in them...everything he did made me love him more than I did yesterday, which, at the time, seemed impossible.

"I love you more," I whispered with the biggest smile on my face, and our noses touched before we allowed our lips to. This moment - the moment that we had, the moment that I craved - did not last.

I heard a quick popping noise, and my eyes grew wide as I felt a warm fluid gushing down my legs. It was happening.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

Now I was afraid. I didn't know what was going to happen, and so uncertainty shrouded my entire being as I clung to my husband's arm with an unbreakable hold. Megumi, why did you have to pick _now_ to want to come into the world? Why couldn't you have waited until the storm was over, so we could go to the hospital and receive medical help? Despite the fact that I had been through this twice already, I had never been without medical professionals, and so I was afraid that something would happen to my daughter without them here.

"Mom!" Naruto called over his shoulder to Kushina, who glanced over into the kitchen to see our distraught faces, filled with terror. My hand gripped the clothes on top of my belly nervously as Kushina dropped her cards and calmly hurried over to where we stood, careful not to slip in the amniotic fluid at our feet. Her hands touched my forearms lightly, leading me towards her slowly and without panic. I could see the worry in the eyes of Naruto, whose fear was the same as my own. Minato laid his cards face down on the floor and moved to his feet, coming over to assist us in any way possible.

"Calm down, Naruto," Kushina scolded her son, whose hands were shaking as she tugged me away from his grasp. "If you start panicking, then you're going to make your wife panic, which will only make this harder on her."

Minato placed a hand on his son's trembling shoulder. "Let your mother deal with this and do whatever she tells you to," he advised, moving to the little closet at the far end of the kitchen, where he opened the door and retrieved the mop, ready to clean up.

I allowed my mother-in-law to guide me out of the kitchen and to the hallway, where I suspected that she was taking me to the room that Naruto and I share. Every time I moved, more and more fluid ran out of my body, saturating my legs and the floor below my feet. But we continued to move gradually, not stopping to concern ourselves with the mess that Minato was going to clean. Behind us, I could hear Naruto's footsteps, and his presence comforted me drastically. If he was here, I could do anything.

I felt the first contraction begin, and while it didn't hurt too badly, I knew that it was only a matter of time before they increased in magnitude. That, I was not looking forward to. I sensed that Kushina knew that the contractions had started, because her thumb moved up and down on my arm, as if to give me some signal of comfort; that I wasn't alone. I knew that I wasn't alone. I had my husband, whom I loved with my entire heart, body, and soul. His parents - who had welcomed me into the family even before Naruto and I engaged - were here. Everybody was here to help me, and there was so much thanks that I would have to give them later. In the meantime, I had to mentally prepare myself to cope with the roller coaster of childbirth.

Kushina lead me into my bedroom, which was filled with darkness and the sound of heavy raindrops pattering on the window. Naruto stalked closely behind us, ready to do anything that I or his mother commanded of him.

"Naruto," the red headed beauty turned to her son, using such a soft voice that soothed the core of my ears. "Go to the bathroom and get me a stack of towels." Without a word, Naruto obeyed his mother, hustling out of our room and down the hallway. When he left, she turned her attention to me as she reached onto the bed and grabbed a stack of pillows off of the head. "How would you feel most comfortable?" she asked me, and I wasn't entirely sure what she meant. There was no way that I'd be comfortable in this situation, regardless of where we were. "Do you want to lay on your back, so that it's easier for me to get to the baby, or do you want to squat and use gravity to your advantage?"

I thought about it for a moment, and within a few seconds, I decided that I didn't care about my personal comfort; the thing that really mattered to me was the safety of my child. I would endure all the pain in the world for Megumi's sake, and so I decided.

"I'll lay on my back," I murmured before gasping in a sharp breath as a second contraction hit me, this one doubling the strength of the first. Naruto hurried back into the room with a stack of navy blue bath towels piled on his forearms. I could still see some of the concern that coursed through his body, inevitably, and I could feel the same, myself. This was our first time delivering a child by ourselves, and I knew well enough that if Kushina wasn't here taking charge, both of us would be in a panic.

"Lay a towel down on the floor, Naruto," Kushina directed her son, who removed one soft cloth from the pile and threw the rest on the bed. He held the corners and whipped it out, unfolding it within a matter of milliseconds. Bending at the knees, he spread out the towel, running his hands over it to smooth it on the hardwood floor. At the top of it, Kushina placed two pillows, creating a small, disposable bed for me to give birth upon. "Okay, sweetie." She turned to me now as she stood back up after preparing my nest. "You'll need to slip out of your shorts." Her hands held onto my arms as I dug my thumbs into the cotton material that clung to my hips, shoving the heavy, drenched bed shorts down to the floor, where they splashed into another pool of amniotic fluid.

With the help of Naruto and Kushina, I lowered myself onto the miniature bed that was prepared quickly for me, only to feel a third contraction that knocked the wind out of me. For many seconds, I felt as though I was suffocating and couldn't breathe. It felt as if I had been run over by a train. Once safely on the floor, I gripped Naruto's arm, clutching to him with every muscle that could possibly be used for my hand. As quickly as it had come, the pain left my body, and I was able to let out a breath and relax my muscles.

"Do you have any sort of light that is battery operated?" Kushina asked her son as she kneeled down in front of me, covering my waist and upper thighs with a second towel. Naruto nodded and pressed a kiss to my temple before leaving the room again.

_Megumi..._ I spoke inaudibly to my child who was preparing herself to be born. _Please, come out safely. _My mind couldn't help but flash back seven years in the past, remembering Sakura's complications with Senri, and recalling my fear for both her life and for the baby's. Sakura had been so strong then, and she was prepared to do anything in order to give Senri life. Up until his birth, we all had awaited anxiously, fearing the worst. I didn't know what I would do if complications would arise today. Just the thought of it brought tears to my eyes and poisonous pricks to my heart.

Naruto returned swiftly with a flashlight in his hands, of which he held out to his mother. She shook her head at him and motioned for him to kneel down next to her and hold it for her. I allowed my eyes to focus on the ceiling and not on the blast of light that appeared between my legs. Taking in a set of deep breaths - in through my nose, out through my mouth - I allowed my body to relax so that I could conserve the energy that I would need for active labor.

Kushina's fingers felt extremely cold against my body, and the sensation of soreness ran up and down in between my spread legs. It felt like some of the times during menstruation where my body is so sore down there that I don't want anybody touching it. Only for this, she had to make contact if she was going to see how far my cervix had dilated. Because she was here to help, I did not tell her that her touch was painful to me. Rather, I squeezed my eyes shut and took another breath, enduring the aching of my pelvis. The throbbing that began in between my legs gradually slithered up my body, infecting my back and my hips, creating a feeling of misery inside of me.

"She still has some time before she's completely dilated," Kushina said, removing her fingers from me and allowing me to relax. My body fell over onto my left side, and I snuggled the pillow underneath my head. All that I could do right now was wait until the time came for me to start pushing. "Naruto, go get a clean bowl from the kitchen and be ready to fill it with warm water. Go boil a pair of scissors for twenty minutes, and find some string and a bulb syringe." Her commands were extensive, and I couldn't help but wonder if Naruto could remember it all. However, when he crawled up to meet my gaze, Kushina sighed and stood up. "Never mind. I'll get it. You stay with your wife."

In all honesty, that made me happy. Right now, I wanted the comfort that Naruto always managed to bring me without having to try. I wanted him by my side as my body prepared itself to bring our daughter into the dark and stormy world. Most of all, I longed to feel his touch, had an undying desire for his lips to console mine. He was the inextinguishable fire that burned brightly in my life, never fading.

"How are you feeling?" he murmured to me, his right hand stroking up and down my arm tenderly, lovingly. I wanted to tell him the truth; I was afraid. I didn't know what today was going to bring for us, and I was concerned about not having a medical professional here while I delivered our daughter. I know that I should have told him that my body was aching terribly, and that I could feel the soreness of my breasts and pelvis throbbing. But I didn't.

"I'm okay," I lied, not wanting to worry him and concern himself with me. Although, I did have to admit that his gentle touch sent waves of relief coursing through my veins. I watched as he gently pushed his body down, bringing himself to lay on his hip, propped up on his elbow. He leaned in towards me, and his soft and tender lips met my own in a passionate, puzzle-perfect lock. The taste of him sent my senses into a frenzy, my brain following close behind. I had not had him to myself in so long, and yet I still do not. After Megumi's birth, we still will not get time for one another in peace, at least until Megumi doesn't need me constantly, and I don't feel the need to be with her all the time. Once she was old enough to be left with a baby sitter, Naruto and I were going to have to leave our children with somebody, at least for a night, and we just needed to be together. I never imagined how much time babies took away our being with one another in peace.

Don't get me wrong; I love my children unconditionally, and I would do anything for them, even if it cost me my life. However, I did also love Naruto, and I wanted time to spend with him.

"I love you, Hinata," he murmured and pressed his forehead to mine like he always used to whenever it was just us. "I love you so much, like, you don't even know. There aren't enough words in any language that can accurately describe how much I love you."

"Naruto," I murmured, feeling my heart tremble with such happiness, "you have no idea how long I had waited to hear those words come out of your mouth." My hands reached out to press against his chest. "I love you, and I'm so happy that I could have your children."

"I should be saying the same to you," he chuckled lightly, not wanting to disturb the benevolent feeling that shrouded the room. "You know, when we first started dating, I was really nervous," he admitted, and shock filled my body, along with another contraction that made me wince. "I didn't think that you would like me; I mean, I was the caboose of our class, while you ranked in the top five. It was like Beauty and the Beast, only with brains."

"Naruto, if only you had known how long I had waited for you, and had been too shy to initiate conversation with you. Had it not been for the combination of my psychology project and Sakura's, I doubt I would have been able to talk to you at all."

Naruto laughed and pressed his lips to my forehead. "Oh well. I have you now, and I can give you all of the love that I have to give." With steady movements, he moved a few inches away from me and climbed to the other side of my figure, careful not to touch a hair on my body. At first, I was at a loss for what he was doing, but it didn't take me long to figure it out. His strong and gentle hands cupped the flesh in between the base of my neck and my shoulders, and he began kneading it. At first, he was too forceful, but after he loosened my muscles and forced them to relax, the deep tissue massage felt heavenly. He gradually moved down my back, taking his time with every section and making certain that my muscles were lazing about. Every few minutes, I would feel another contraction down in my pelvic region, but the pressure was nothing like it had been before careful attention was given to my body.

I think I may have fallen in and out of consciousness, but every time I came to, Naruto was still giving my body his full and undivided attention. At times, I would hear Kushina or Minato walk into the room to make sure I was doing okay. This feeling of peacefulness... I didn't want it to end. While I was excited that I would be meeting Megumi soon, I didn't want Naruto to stop molding my back. However, of course, I have been through childbirth twice already, and I knew that this would end soon enough.

I had no idea how much time had passed before Kushina came back into the room and had me roll back over onto my back so she could check my dilation. Naruto had to leave my side for a moment in order to hold the flashlight for his mother.

"You're almost completely dilated," she told me, and wiped her fingers on the towel below me. "How are your contractions feeling, Hinata?"

"They hurt," I turned my eyes down to look at her, "but they're bearable."

"That's good, considering how difficult your first labor experience was."

That's right. Kushina wasn't there in the room when Usui was born. It was just Naruto and me, and the doctors, of course. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I remember the tears that poured out of my eyes because the pain was unbearable. If I recall correctly, I believe I had been the cause of Naruto's broken hand. According to Naruto, who said he never let go the whole time, I had lost consciousness over and over again, blacking out continuously. He said that my body was attempting to guard myself from the pain, and so it tried to shut down. When my consciousness returned, he told me that I would cry, wanting to give up.

"You should be starting the transition stage soon," she told me, and my heart almost stopped. This was the part that I dreaded the most. I could feel the water rushing in behind my eyes, but I refused to let it pour out in an ocean of tears. I had to be stronger than this.

"What is the transition stage?" Naruto asked, and I almost dreaded the explanation that would remind me of the pain that I had already endured twice in my life.

"It's the stage right before she starts pushing, and the most painful stage - at least for me, it was. But it only lasts about fifteen to thirty minutes."

"Will she be okay?" he asked, and I could hear the fear in his voice, but before Kushina could even process the words that he said, a yell came out of my throat, caused by an extreme contraction that may have been the worst I had felt in my life. The pressure was so intense that my uterus felt as though it was going to implode. Inside me, I could feel Megumi moving into position to be born, and my entire body began to tremble as the pain rushed up through my abdomen and shot down through my thighs. This excruciation...it was worse than when I was experiencing labor with Usui; it may even exceed labor with Usui and Tadashi combined.

"Naruto!" I cried out to my husband as the contractions somehow grew worse. He gave me his hand to clutch and I took it without giving it a second thought. "Don't let me pass out," I begged him, the muscles in my face not strong enough to keep the tears from pouring out. "Please, don't let me pass out."

From my left side, I heard Naruto sniff and he covered our conjoined hands with his right hand. "I won't let you pass out," he said in a desperate attempt to reassure me. "I promise." He pressed our quivering hands to his lips, kissing my own before touching our fists to his forehead. On my arm, I could feel the tears of stress and fear trickle down his cheeks and onto my own flesh. Together, we cried.

My entire body shivered, despite the fact that I wasn't cold. On the contrary, I was sweating, my body feeling as though it was on fire. My vision began to pepper with bright little stars as the pressure within my pelvis grew more and more unbearable. Megumi thrust her foot into my stomach, causing me to gag. I felt as though I was going to throw up.

"I'm going to get the warm water ready," Kushina told us before leaving the room, just as Minato was entering. A loud and terrifying cry came out of my mouth as the contractions grew worse and worse.

"Hold on, Hinata," he said, coaching me gently. "Just remember, this is the shortest part. You'll get to meet your baby soon."

A cry louder than anything I had ever heard come out of me came bellowing out, along with the tears that followed. I could see the dark clouds passing through my vision as the start of blacking out set in, and terror struck me as I feared losing consciousness.

"Please, please!" I begged like a slave to my brain. "Don't let me black out!" The emotions that crowded inside of my body were too overwhelming, and I wanted to give up. I didn't know how many minutes I was into the transition stage, but I wanted it to be over. I wanted this whole thing to be over. "I give up!" I cried out into the darkness of the storm. "I can't to it!"

"You can do it, Hinata," Naruto told me, gasping out a breath as he tried to be strong for my sake. "I love you, Hinata!"

The tears that flowed down the sides of my face burned, and I could feel the blood boiling under my skin as I became more and more flustered. This was terrible; I didn't know how long I could humanly survive this sort of agonizing excruciation. My head pulsed as if a jackhammer was unleashed on my brain, and I didn't know how much longer I could hold on.

"Please don't cry, Hinata," Kushina said in coaxing voice as she returned to the dark room. "You're going to make it through this, I promise." Her feet slid across the floor gracefully as she moved over to where I lay in shambles, and she dropped down to her knees on my right side. She placed one of my mixing bowls down on the floor, a dish towel in between its bottom and the hardwood floor. The metallic sound of clinking came from beside me, and with closed eyes, I listened as something was removed from the bowl and wrung out, most of the excess liquid returning. Upon my steaming forehead, Kushina lay an ice cold cloth that sent a chill running down my spine. The initial contact of the sub zero wash rag on my flesh was enough to control the heat that built up in my face, however it increased the stars that flickered in my eyes.

I couldn't shake the feeling that I was going to lose consciousness, and my initial reaction was to squeeze Naruto's hand tighter and tighter until I could feel the bones ready to break through my skin. Naruto clutched my hand tighter, too, as if attempting to give me something else to focus on, rather than the pain stretching along my lower body. These contractions, though, refused to be ignored, and they gave me no break. I felt as though I had just been punched in the gut and could not breathe, and couldn't find my breath anywhere, despite my efforts.

My head was spinning faster and faster than I could follow, and I felt as though I was falling backwards into a world of darkness. The sounds around me were becoming echoed, and I couldn't hear clearly. I tried to call out to Naruto, but I do not think words came out of my mouth. There was nothing I could do, and there certainly wasn't anything he could do for me. One of my fears was coming to life.

My consciousness was fading away...


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

"-ta!"

_I couldn't feel what was happening around me. It was as if I was in a perpetual state of dreaming. Everything was dark, and I felt as though somebody had turned off all of my senses. My vision was black. I could feel nothing at all, which terrified me; feeling pain would have been better than this numbing nothingness. Nothing invaded my taste buds. No aromas invigorated my olfactory sense. The world around me was dead silent and filled with absolutely nothing._

"-nata!"

_What was this? Something was trying to break through this barrier of vacancy. I opened the mouth that I wasn't sure that I still had and I tried to call out to the distant sound that I had heard. But to no avail... I was still alone within this blackness. Floating, if I was even connected to my body. Drifting. A wandering consciousness. _

"Hinata!"

My eyelashes fluttered as everything came back to me in a crashing boom. I could see the face of my dear, my lover, my husband. He was so beautiful, that at first I had mistaken him for an angel and instantaneously thought myself to be dead. I noticed the familiar bedroom that I had drifted away from for a time that was foreign to me. The pain returned to me, and the pressure within my loins caused a groan to press out of my throat. The metallic taste of blood trickled through my taste buds, and I came to the conclusion that I must have chomped down on my tongue before I had blacked out. I could smell the musky stench of sweat and tears that filled the room. My heavy breathing filled my own ears, along with the voices of Naruto's parents, which were only hums in the background. First and foremost, Naruto's voice rang within my ears like a beautiful melody.

"Naru...to?" I called out to my husband weakly, and he squeezed my hand within both of his tenderly. My eyelids wanted so desperately to drift shut, but I refused to let myself fall back into the lonely darkness again.

"I promised you that I wouldn't let you pass out," he murmured, and I could hear him sobbing into our hands. "You're almost there, Hinata. Please hold on just a little while longer. I'm right here with you."

"Naruto..." Physically, I could hear the fragility of my voice, which almost sounded quieter than usual. I tried so hard not to focus on the pain of becoming fully dilated; instead, I devoted my attention to the feel of my hand entwined with Naruto's. I felt our flesh mold into one. I could feel his warm tears trickle onto my sweating hand. As long as he held my hand, I believe I could do this. He was here with me; he won't let me slip into the terrifying world of unconsciousness. He promised.

However, having my husband at my side didn't completely take the pain away from the rest of my body. Megumi made her presence known by forcing herself downwards onto my cervix, creating a pressure within a whole new ball park. My eyebrows pulled together and my lids squeezed shut. My hold on Naruto's hand increased tenfold as I let out another cry in desperate attempt to relieve some of the pressure. Megumi shared the same wishes as her parents: she wanted to be born now and get the disruption over with.

By the time Kushina had positioned herself in between my legs again to check my dilation, I realized that Minato was no longer in the room. A part of me wondered where he went, while the other part really didn't care. I didn't want him to listen to me cry out anymore, and so I hoped that he went to occupy Usui and Tadashi and keep them calm.

"Good news, Hinata," Kushina said with a hint of excitement in her voice. "You're ready to start pushing, now."

Every cell in my body breathed a sigh of relief the moment those words passed through her lips. I had been waiting to hear those words since the contractions had begun. Those words were my saving grace. This meant that I was going to be meeting Megumi soon, and I would be able to finally embrace her and give her all of the love that was building up inside of me. I squeezed Naruto's hand and we exchanged an excited glance. I was exhausted, but after two times of going through childbirth, I felt as though I could manage; the worst part was over, and all I had to do now was push. Luckily for my physical and mental sanity, the contractions would give me about a five minute break, so I could catch my breath and relax for a few moments before having to push again.

"Naruto, would you go get me that bowl of warm water," Kushina asked of her son, who I could tell, was reluctant to leave my side, but I gave him a reassuring nod and released his hand. With swift movements, Naruto stood up and slid his feet across the hardwood floors of our bedroom, and the moment he was gone, I wanted him to return as quickly as possible. I felt empty without him, especially in this moment of our daughter's birth. I needed him.

The pressure in my lower body tightened dramatically, signalling me to begin pushing. My body crunched as I sat up as far as I could, exerting as much force as I could muster to help Megumi along. Feeling her body move through my own caused a swarm of emotions that welled up within me, along with a sort of pain that was extremely noticeable, but tolerable. Despite my fatigue and discomfort, the ecstatic emotions coursing through my veins couldn't wait to see the face of my child, who I instinctively knew was going to be beautiful. There was no way that she wouldn't be; both of her brothers were, and so was her father. There were some pretty good genes in her lineage, if I do say so myself.

"Megumi," I spoke to her as I let up on the force that I exerted. The contraction, too, died down, giving me time to lounge back on the small stack of pillows behind me. The blood that had rapidly rushed to my head and pulsed within my temporal arteries gradually faded, though I knew that it would come back soon enough. My lips pursed together as a puff of air that had been trapped inside of my lungs came blowing out. "Please come out quickly, Megumi."

I was praying that she wouldn't be like Usui, who had taken me three hours to deliver, just when I was pushing. The labor itself, had lasted for about thirty six hours, and I had been miserable. So far, though, our progress was much better; if I had had to bear a day and a half with the pain that I had felt right before passing out, I would have gone insane. I do believe that I would be meeting Megumi very, very soon, and that she was going to follow my request. Judging by the way she was moving through the birth canal, I think that she may be coming into the world with another push or two.

I was so excited.

Naruto came back into the room with the bowl of warm water, and he set it on the floor at his mother's right side. Kushina's head turned towards him when he began to move away from her quickly, attempting to return to my side and give me a hand to hold.

"Don't be going anywhere," she scolded him, pointing to the floor as a nonverbal signal for him to kneel down next to her. "The baby is almost here. You're going to be the one to clean her off when she is born."

"Already?!" Naruto raised his voice, startling me a bit, but I couldn't help but to smile and laugh, both with him and with the extreme joy that welled up inside of me. This feeling of anticipation and ecstatic bliss was killing me so roughly that I felt as though I couldn't breathe. I knew that air was going into my lungs and passing through like it should, however I couldn't feel it, and the oxygen wasn't registering inside of my brain. "I thought it took hours." He turned his eyes to me, and through the thick darkness, I could see the tides within his ocean glimmer. "The boys both took a few hours."

"Tadashi only took an hour," I corrected him lightly. I was grateful for that back then, especially since I was expecting another three hour ride, similar to Usui. Out of all of our children, Tadashi was the easiest to deliver, because the pain that I had felt was very minimal. "And Usui was three hours."

"It generally goes quicker the more you do it." Kushina glanced at the watch on her wrist, watching the time until my next predicted contraction. While her eyes were focused, my body instinctively curled forward, moving with the contraction and pushing along with it. It was a miracle, feeling the body of my baby moving through me as she prepared to be born. Despite the raw and tender emotions that welled up inside of me, I could feel a heated sensation building in my lower body, and it felt as though there had been a fire set to my loins.

"It's hot," I grunted as I continued to push, but Kushina shook her head at me, signalling for my abandonment of the effort.

"Your cells are stretching," she explained to me as I laid backwards, catching my breath rapidly. "In order to prevent any cellular tears, don't push as hard, and let the contractions do the rest gradually."

Naruto's hand touched my thigh gently, rubbing the length of it with care. "Are you doing okay, Hinata?" he asked me with a soft and soothing voice that melted my heart. Continuing the task of catching my breath, I gave my husband a swift thumbs up to answer his question.

"While she's resting for a bit, I'm going to brief you on what we're going to do." Kushina turned to her son. "After Megumi is born, I'll hold her at a forty five degree angle to allow the fluids to drain out of her mouth. After that happens, we'll need to keep her warm, since she won't be able to regulate her body temperature very well. To do that, we'll give her to her mother, with her head resting on Hinata's shoulder. Since Hinata will still be laying down, this will allow any lingering fluids to exit Megumi's mouth. Naruto, I'll need you to cover her with that extra towel on the bed. After ten minutes, the pulsing should stop, and I'll tie the pieces of string around the umbilical cord, and you're going to cut it."

Naruto looked shocked, because he had never been the one to participate in this event with our past two children. I was glad, though, that Kushina was involving him in the birth of our daughter. I felt that it was important that he form this bond.

"I have faith that you can do it," she said with a stunning smile. "After all, you're doing better than Fugaku when Itachi was born. That man lost consciousness as soon as the head came out," she laughed, fanning herself with her hand. "Please don't tell him I told you that. He'd be mortified."

I had to chuckle a little bit, because Sasuke's father reminded me of my own; silent and strong with a formidable reputation that he couldn't bear to have crushed.

"Anyway, after you cut the cord, you'll wash her off nicely, and we'll wrap her back in the towel. I will take her out for a moment to get her height and weight while you move your wife to the bed, where she can lay comfortably. I'll bring Megumi back, and you two can have her."

That sounded easy enough, and although I couldn't bear to be separated from my daughter, I knew that Kushina would take good care of her and return her nimbly. She wouldn't take her away from me as long as the hospital had taken Usui and Tadashi, which relieved me. It was those tender moments to spend with my newborn child that I wanted; I didn't want to be separate from her.

I could feel another contraction pulsing within my body, and I tried so hard to resist the reaction to push along with it. My fingers clenched the material of the towel below me, and they curled into tight fists that caused my hands to tremble. The pressure felt as though the bones of my knuckles were about to break through the surface of my skin. Moving through the lower part of me, Megumi's tiny body slid almost easily through, her head peaking out from between my legs.

From below me, I could hear my husband gasp, and Kushina dove in, ready for action. Though her hands barely touched me, I could feel her supporting Megumi's head, because she and I both knew that Megumi's neck was not strong enough for such a task yet.

Naruto sniffed, and I glanced over at him, only to see him wiping his eyes of the moisture that drained out of them. At first, I panicked, and every muscle within my body tightened viciously. What was wrong with my daughter?! If something happened, I...I...

When I saw the beautiful smile flash across his tear-streaked face, I realized that there was absolutely nothing wrong. It was a repeat of when Usui was born; tears were brought to Naruto's eyes, and this time, he got to see the baby before I did. Before I, Megumi's mother, even got to see her, Naruto had, and he was bawling his eyes out. She had to be beautiful. I knew she was. There was no doubt in my mind that she would be the single, blooming flower standing amongst the weeds.

"Naruto, is she...?"

"She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he blurted out before I could finish my question, and my head fell backwards onto the pillow. I couldn't wait to see her.

_Just a few more minutes, Hinata, and you'll get to meet your daughter._

The minutes, though, were moving slower than the hour hand on a clock. It seemed as though the final contraction would never happen, almost as if my body wanted me to wait in unbearable anticipation to see my daughter. It wasn't fair that, of the people in this room, I would be the last to see Megumi's face. The thought of it made me want to scream.

But I didn't. Kushina and Naruto had done so much for me time and time again, that there was no possible way that I had the right to deny their seeing Megumi. I was just going to have to suck it up and hold on until my baby was finally born. Naruto's baby. Our baby.

"One more push, Hinata," Kushina coaxed me, despite the fact that there was nothing I could physically do until the final contraction made its rounds through my loins. The sweat beaded up on my flesh as I waited, bracing the tolerable pain that ached throughout my bones. Within my bangs, the perspiration from my forehead matted, causing my blueberry fringe to cling to my skin.

Outside, the wind wailed and knocked over something that shattered upon impact with the ground. The storm's temper tantrum raged on and on with no end in sight, and the rain increased its speed as it plummeted towards earth. Upon the window pane, the drops exploded into thousands of tiny droplets of water that raced down the glass. A blinding light filled the bedroom as a bolt of lightning threatened the morning - or afternoon, I was no longer sure of the time. An ear-splitting crack of anger sounded, disturbing the peace within our room filling with the miracle of life.

Just as a second rumble of thunder rolled by our apartment, I could feel the final contraction within me tightening, and I hunched forward with a grunt, pushing Megumi's body out of me and bringing her completely and fully into the world. It was only then that I could hear her tiny wails of disturbance as she was born.

I let out a breath of relief and fell backwards into the pillows, my head plopping down upon their feathered flesh. While the sound of her cries made my heart wrench in motherly sorrow, they also overjoyed me with the fact that I had made a safe delivery, despite the fact that I had had to do it on the bedroom floor with no medical assistance. Inside my chest, I could feel my heart thudding away as if I had just run a marathon. The blood that pounded through my ears was practically deafening, however I would not tolerate it cutting off the sound of my newborn daughter.

"Megumi," I murmured in extreme fatigue. Naruto turned to look at me, and he smiled as he crawled on his knees over to where my head lay. Planting a tender kiss upon my trembling lips, I could feel all of the passion within his body heating up. He was so gentle with me, especially now in my time of physical prostrations. When he had retreated all too quickly, I almost glared at him; he couldn't just cut me off like that. I craved him.

"Thank you, Hinata," he whispered to me genuinely, and before I had time to answer, I saw Kushina moving gradually on her knees up the right side of my body. In her hands was my daughter, whose tears caused my tired eyes to water.

"She's so tiny," I said with a stifled chuckle, and I watched as my mother-in-law placed my daughter on my chest, with her head resting on my left shoulder. Even through the darkness, I could pick out features on her face; she had my eyes - the shape, at least - and she definitely had Naruto's mouth. I couldn't tell what color the little hairs on her head were, but they definitely weren't blonde. She'll either have my hair or my father's.

It didn't take her long to become completely content, laying against my skin. Naruto took the extra towel from off of the bed and covered our daughter with it, making sure that she was completely tucked in and warm. The happiness that emitted from both my body and Naruto's filled the room, and we lay together on the floor, gazing at our sleeping daughter.

At first, I didn't even realize that Kushina had gotten up and began tidying the room. The only thing that made me realize her absence from my side was that she began wiping my body down as the contractions continued, delivering the placenta that no longer connected me to my daughter. I was so grateful to Naruto's mother for being here in my time of concern and need. I don't know what we would have done without her; yes I do: we would have panicked.

But now, we had peace. Despite the raging storm outside of our window, we were in complete and one hundred percent placidity, here with our Megumi.

Minato deserved just as much thanks from both of us for watching the boys while this went on. Had it just been Naruto and me, we wouldn't have been able to keep our young sons calm, and Naruto would have had to continually leave me by myself to deal with the excruciating contractions and the agonizing uncertainty. He was a lifesaver, really and truly.

Naruto moved over to my left side, careful not to disturb Megumi, and he layed down next to me, touching our daughter's face with the knuckles of his fingers. I could feel her little face twitch, as if instantly disturbed by the touch of somebody other than myself, but I think that once she realized that it was Dad, she returned to her slumber.

"She's so beautiful," he breathed, his voice so soft and gentle, as so not to awaken our bundle of joy. My lips curled up into a soft smile as both of us gazed upon Megumi, sound asleep and completely at peace. "If I must say so myself, we make the prettiest kids, Hinata," he said, and I couldn't help but laugh lightly, extremely careful not to jerk my body and disturb the baby.

Kushina touched my leg, attempting to get my attention away from the baby for a few moments. "Believe it or not, sweetie, it's been ten minutes." Already? Kushina grabbed the two pieces of string and the sterile scissors, and she turned her eyes to Naruto, who, reluctantly, sat up. "Naruto, I need you to carefully pick up Megumi and bring her over here. The towel can stay with Hinata."

He did as he was directed, wincing as he disrupted Megumi's sweet z's of slumber. Her face twisted in angst as she was removed from my chest, and she didn't like the fact that she was being moved from her comfort zone already. I wasn't happy about it either, but if I really gave it my all, I could deal with it. I watched closely as he held Megumi with her belly to the ceiling, and as Kushina skillfully tied one of the strings about three inches away from Megumi's naval, and the other another two inches up the umbilical cord, away from the first.

"Okay, Naruto," Kushina said, taking Megumi out of Naruto's hands. "What you're going to do is take the scissors and you're going to cut in between these two strings."

Hesitantly, Naruto removed the scissors from within the napkin used to rub alcohol on them. I watched as his face grew pale with nervousness, and I feel like I had a pretty good idea on his biggest fear: the pain it would inflict on Megumi and myself.

"Don't worry about pain," Kushina told him reassuringly, as if reading his mind, also. Then again, she was his mother, so she probably had the mother's intuition. "Neither one of them will feel anything, because there are no nerve endings within the cord." This reassurance gave Naruto confidence, and so he held the scissors carefully in his right hand and positioned their open teeth on either side of the umbilical cord. "Take your time. It will be slippery and strong."

I watched without a word as Naruto began his trek on cutting the cord that once physically connected our daughter to me not too long ago. At first, I could tell that he was becoming flustered with the toughness of the placenta, however he persevered until it was completely cut and Megumi was home free.

"Okay," Kushina said brought herself to her feet. "I'm going to get her measurements while you move Hinata onto the bed and clean up the towels on the floor," she directed as she left the room with my baby, and Naruto turned to me. His feet drifted over to my left side and he squatted down next to me, slithering one arm behind my back and the other under my knees. Lifting with his legs, he brought himself back to standing, princess-lifting me upwards.

"I can't say this enough," he murmured to me as he laid me gently upon the messy sheets of the bed that neither of us had the time to make this morning. My heart beat fast as he gazed lovingly into my tired eyes, and I couldn't help but wonder if he could hear my heart thudding against my thoracic cavity. He had to hear it; it was so loud. Regardless of whether or not he could hear my life-giving organ, he continued with the most majestic and longing voice I had ever heard. "I love you, Hinata. Now and forever."


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

Six pounds, eleven ounces. Fifteen inches. That is Megumi Uzumaki.

Megumi lay snuggled within my arms, completely content with the silence of the room around her. I could tell that she was comfortable, so long as our contact was not severed. If that was all that it took to keep her from shedding tears and breaking my heart into tiny pieces, then so be it. It's not like I would argue about bonding time with my daughter.

Naruto had left the room, much to my dismay, but was bringing in Usui and Tadashi to meet their new baby sister. Kushina and Minato were tossing the dirty towels used during the birth into the washing machine and cleaning up everything so that neither I or Naruto would have to after the storm. It was kind of them, really. I told them that they didn't have to do anything, that they had done enough already, and yet they continued on their trek with gracious smiles on their faces. I still couldn't get over how close the Uzumaki family was, and how I was a part of that unity. Initially upon marrying Naruto, I felt overwhelmed to be perfect for his parents, despite the fact that they knew me and had practically adopted me as their own daughter before the engagement. When we would go over to their house, I would always help Kushina with the cooking, even if I had to abandon the video games that Minato and Naruto could kick my butt at.

Over the raging hurricane outside my bedroom window, I heard tiny little footsteps approaching the door, coming closer as they made their way down the hall. With each step, my heart filled with greater joy; I loved my family with everything that I had. I loved the quiet and reserved Usui, who reminded me so much of myself even to this day. I cherished the wild and rambunctious Tadashi, who was like his father in so many ways. Beloved was Megumi, who could inherit anything from both my side of the family and Naruto's. Deeply in love I was to the man who gave me these children and the wonderful life that I live today: Naruto.

I saw them appear before me through the bedroom doorway, Naruto holding the hands of our sons; Usui on his right, Tadashi on his left. Both of them were anxious - anxious-excited - to meet Megumi, their baby sister for the very first time. I prayed that they would love her and protect her. A soft smile was already spread smoothly over Naruto's cheeks as he led Usui and Tadashi into the room, telling them gently to be very quiet. I could see the wonder and awe within Tadashi, never before seeing a newborn baby, let alone his little sister. Usui had seen Tadashi as an infant when the nurses had taken him to the nursery in the hospital. Despite that fact, I could still feel the excitement within my firstborn son, who was witnessing the miracle of new life.

Naruto lifted Tadashi onto the other side of the bed, where he crawled with such cautious movements over to my side. Usui stood on his tiptoes at my right side, and he reached out to touch Megumi's tiny little hand. Both of her brothers, despite being so young, were quite considerate of her, oh so careful not to disturb their sleeping sister. This moment, having our family together in this room, was the happiest moment of my life. There was absolutely nothing that could make me feel more bliss than what filled my heart right here in this very moment.

"Megumi," Tadashi spoke softly, saying his sister's name, but at the same time, welcoming her into the world. Though he didn't know that many words, I understood him completely, and my body was filled to the brim with warmth.

"She's small," Usui murmured, wrapping his fingers around her tiny little hand and holding it gently in his grasp. I watched as he gazed upon Megumi's face with such tender care, and he gave me hope that he will protect Megumi as she grows up. If he could be what Neji was to me, I would be so happy; a protector, a friend, a brother.

"Isn't she cute?" I murmured, and I could feel the tears coming to my eyes as the happiness became overwhelming inside of me. Though, because I did not want my children to become concerned, I found the strength - despite my fatigue - to hold them back. Usui nodded, but his attention never left the placid face of his baby sister. It was as if he was mesmerized by her, and I could see why. She was so beautiful, a gift from the heavens.

"When?" Tadashi asked, and my eyes flickered to my son, who kneeled in between my left hip and Naruto's stomach. With strong and caring hands, Naruto brushed his fingers through Tadashi's chocolate mop, feathering it around on top of our toddler's head. Tadashi's hair continued to grow, and I couldn't bring myself to cut it. It was so luscious, like my dear cousin's. Before getting lost within the angelic beauty of the small boy, I decided to answer him.

"She just got here," I murmured with a smile playing on my cheeks. "You must not have noticed while you were playing with Grandpa." Though the words I spoke sounded completely foolish and uneducated within my mind, I knew that my innocent children would believe me, no questions asked. I guess ignorance is bliss. It makes me wish that I could go back in time, and really and truly appreciate childhood innocence. Of course, that innocence would eventually leave, for if it did not, then I would have never been blessed with the three children that surround me at this very moment.

My family is the greatest gift ever bestowed upon me, and I pray every day for their constant safety.

OoO

The storm had raged on for another two days, and by the time it had ended, I couldn't wait to get outside. I wanted to go see everybody - my family at _Mikoto's_, Neji and Tenten, Sakura - and I wanted them to meet the newest addition to the Uzumaki family. I also wanted to visit the two candidates that Naruto and I had discussed to be Megumi's godparents.

The damage outside of the apartment was minimal, surprisingly. A few casualties lay scattered about: shattered pots, snapped tree limbs, a few severed roof tiles. Though the storm had sounded massive from inside our cozy home, it didn't look at all to be that bad.

However, I suppose it was a good thing that we were advised to stay in during the three days that it swooped by. While it was scary and while I was filled with complete and total uncertainty, I was happy that I was able to bear Megumi in the comfort of my own home. I was thankful for Kushina, who led me through everything and kept Naruto calm, and also for Minato, who entertained Usui and Tadashi. Had it not been for them, I doubt Naruto and I would have made it. Thinking about it now, I realized that I would have had to give birth by myself, and just the thought scared me.

Kushina and Minato had offered to watch the boys while Naruto and I made our rounds, and I continue to be forever in their debt. They were eager to take their grandchildren out and spoil them while the parents weren't around, and I knew that that was exactly what they were going to do. I didn't mind. I wanted my children to be surrounded by warm hearts and tender embraces. If Minato and Kushina wanted to smother them with love, I would allow it.

The streets were wet and the air around us was sticky, but the walk was doing me good, and I think I could say the same for my husband. He had taken Megumi from me, completely against my will, and cradled her in his right arm. While I didn't like to be separate from my daughter this soon, I knew that Naruto would protect her with his life. Not to mention the fact that my arms were exhausted. Deep down, I knew that I was thankful for him for taking her out of my hands.

As we walked together, our hands continued to brush one another, and it was only a matter of time before our fingers constricted around one another in the sensual act of hand holding. The warmth of his skin against mine was something that would never stop making my heart pound. It was as if some sort of sensation radiated from his flesh and into mine, channeling back and forth between us. A stream of love passed between us; friends, lovers, husband and wife. The emotions that swirled through my body and soul when I am with him were endless. There were not enough words to explain just exactly how he made me feel. No words, in any language, could take on the task of describing what Naruto meant to me.

The air around us was warm, sticky from the high humidity that the hurricane left behind in Konoha. I had to stop for a moment, digging my feet into the pavement and dropping Naruto's hand, just long enough to where I could wrap my mop of hair with an elastic hairband. Instantly, I could feel the skin on the back of my neck breathe a sigh of relief as fresh air attacked it, cooling my cells. As if I was slowly dying while we were not in physical contact, I rushed in and grasped my husband's hand. He beamed down at me, and I up at him, and we continued onward, happier than we've ever been.

Megumi didn't seem too bothered by the sticky heat; she continued to sleep in Naruto's single arm without a care in the world. She was content, and as a result, so were we.

I couldn't tell what color her hair was going to be, and the anticipation was growing inside of me. I wanted to know so badly, not that it would matter; she would look beautiful no matter what color she was blessed with.

"We make the cutest little babies," Naruto said to me, and I laughed, knowing that I had heard him say something to that effect before. But he wasn't wrong.

"I can't agree more," I murmured, stopping at the corner for oncoming traffic to pass. "You know, when she gets older, she's going to have all of the boys chasing after her."

"You think so?" he asked, and I could see from the look in his eyes that he was nervous for that day to come. He was going to have to step up and be the intimidating father that practically all pretty daughters had. I could see the anger spark within him, because he knew just how teenage boys could be. This was the downfall of having a daughter for him; he would stop at nothing to protect her from the testosterone-filled boys.

I forced a small laugh to brighten the mood and squeezed his hand. "We still have a long way to go before we have to worry about that." My gaze fell onto the sleeping face of our daughter, and my heart fluttered with delight. There was no greater feeling in the world than finally meeting the child that I have carried for almost ten months. It was the same with Usui and Tadashi; my emotions were within good favor.

I almost didn't notice when we were able to cross the street, and I wouldn't have, had Naruto not dragged me along by my hand. It was easy to be hypnotized by the beautiful child that we had created, and it seems as though I would fall victim to the hypnotism quite simply. But I didn't mind.

From the direction that we were going, I could tell that our first stop would be _Mikoto's_, and I could only hope that everybody was working today. I wanted my family there to meet the newest addition, and I also had to ask Yahiko and Konan a rather important question. I wondered if the store would even be open, since the hurricane had just subsided last night. What if the store had gotten damaged in any way? Such a thought caused my heart to fall down into my stomach, making me almost nauseous. I forced myself to swallow and focus my thoughts on something else; that store was my second home. If something happened to it, I don't know what I would do.

_Mikoto's_ was only a block away from where we stood now, and I glanced around at the surrounding buildings. It didn't look like the storm was any worse on this side of town, and that observation seemed to put me more at ease. Naruto could sense my tension, I could tell, and he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. My eyes turned up to view his magnificent profile, and when he saw me out of his peripherals, he exchanged the same glance. Immediately, I drowned within those ocean eyes, forever lost at sea. It was the most beautiful and satisfying feeling...

The moment he took his eyes away from me, I could breathe in the fresh air. I followed his gaze and saw the exterior of the shop that I had helped Sasuke create. The large windows displaying a few of the instruments that _Mikoto's_ had to offer were all intact, and it seemed as though everything inside remained as it had been before the hurricane.

I let out a breath, completely relieved that everything seemed okay from the viewer's perspective. The sign on the door read _open_, and I couldn't help but smile, excited to see my family. It had only been four days since I had seen them last, but it felt like an eternity. It almost felt strange, and a part of me felt guilty; I was the only one who ever went on maternity leave. The only other girl who worked with us was Konan, and she and Yahiko haven't become engaged yet. That wouldn't necessarily prevent her from becoming pregnant, but it was a start. Sasuke had given me this wonderful job, and I had to go on maternity leave three times in the past seven years.

I took a deep breath before stepping onto the store's parking lot, and when I did, I felt irrationally nervous. Why do I feel this way? I love my family here, and I generally felt completely comfortable around them. Sometimes, a part of me just wanted to laugh at myself for being such a pessimist, but then the other half would get so fed up with seeing the glass as half empty. I wanted to be positive, like Naruto. But, then again, I guess that's why we're so in love; I'm the electron within our relationship, and he is the proton, and the attraction between him and me is what makes our relationship. As long as I have Naruto, I shouldn't want to change myself; he already loves me.

With I outstretched my left arm, reaching outwards in front of me towards the handle of the glass door. My fingers constricted around it in a death grip and I tugged backwards towards my body, forcing the door to open. Stepping backwards, I allowed Naruto to pass through the entrance with Megumi sound asleep in his single arm. Never once, though, did he allow my hand to break from his, and so he led me through the door. I was forever comforted by his grasp.

The music that greeted us was all too familiar to me, and I could hear Sasuke's velvet voice hitting every note perfectly within the studio. I had to stop for a moment and simply listen to the guys jam out in a passion unlike any other. The way the guitar and bass blended together in harmony was so perfect that I was almost lulled into a trance. I could tell just by listening that Suigetsu had taken the guitar part, and Nagato had taken bass. This was clear in my ears, because whenever Sasuke took piano, everybody switched aside from Yahiko and myself. Suigetsu would switch from bass to lead guitar and Nagato would change from any sort of brass to bass. I ended up playing the viola or violin when needed, and in songs where my favorite instrument wasn't needed, Sasuke had me playing backup vocal melody.

So this is what we sounded like to the customers. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

At the front desk that sat as an island in the center of the store, Konan glanced up from her thoughts and both her face and her eyes smiled at me. Instantly, she jumped up, and upon seeing Megumi, she practically squealed. Her violet tresses swayed around her face as she hurried over to Naruto and me, who met her halfway. She threw her arms around me and gave me a tight squeeze, though being careful not to touch my stomach, just incase I was still sore. It wasn't too bad, I don't think. It was definitely not as tender as it had been two days ago.

"Hinata!" she exclaimed, holding me at arms length and grinning at me. "You have no idea how much I miss having another girl around. I mean, I love the guys, but there's way too much testosterone flying around here."

I couldn't help but to laugh at her remark, because her comment triggered a series of memories inside of my brain. That was one of the first things that Coach Tsunade had said to me when I had initially become the basketball team's manager.

"_It isn't such a bad thing that I now have another woman around. Even out the testosterone, y'know?"_

"I've heard that before," I said with a grin. "I guess that evening out testosterone levels is my whole purpose in this life." And almost in complete unison, both Konan and I turned our attention to Megumi, who seemed to realize that there were strangers around her. Her little eyebrows pulled together and her eyelids squeezed shut. In order to keep her from crying out in a panic, Naruto bounced her lightly, moving his other arm under her to aid in support. "Konan, this is Megumi."

The beauty in front of me opened her mouth in a silent gasp, and her orange irises flickered in delight as she bent over to get a better look at the baby in my husband's arms. Reaching out ginger hands, she touched the silky soft skin of my daughter.

"She's so beautiful," Konan breathed out, truly captivated by the newest member of the Uzumaki family. Glancing back and forth between Naruto and me, she held out her arms. "May I hold her?"

While I was a bit hesitant, I trusted Konan with Megumi's life, and so I nodded and pushed a smile onto my cheeks. Oh so carefully, Naruto transferred the baby over to Konan, who supported Megumi's head with one hand and her body with the other. Instantly, knowing that she was no longer in the arms of her father, Megumi burst into tears, whimpering for her parents. Konan bounced up and down on the balls of her feet and rocked back and forth, attempting desperately to soothe the child.

"It's okay, don't be sad!" she said softly, trying to coax Megumi out of her tears. "What are you crying for? Mommy and Daddy are right here."

Despite the fact that I knew that she was okay, Megumi's tears made needles pierce through my heart. Any of my children, when they cried for any reason, I felt as though a part of me was being severed and I was willing to do anything to make them happy. Even though the pain ripped through my body like a poisoned dagger, I forced a friendly smile and leaned down coming close with Megumi.

"What's the matter, Megumi? You're fine."

Konan laughed half-heartedly, handing over the fussy baby to me. "I don't think she likes me very much."

"Don't take it personally," I said in reassurance, taking Megumi into my arms at long last. It felt so great to be back in contact with her. The moment she hit my arms, she quit her crying. "She doesn't like leaving me or Naruto. Anytime Minato or Kushina try to hold her, she throws a fit."

Konan nodded, then turned in the direction of the studio, where the guys continued to rock without interruption. "Do you want me to get them?"

Before I could answer, Naruto began walking into the center of the island counter, and he glanced around. "Actually, what button would turn on the intercom in the studio?"

Konan dragged her feet over to the counter and leaned on the surface, pointing down to a the little red button. "Hold that for about two seconds, then speak."

With a snide grin on his face, Naruto pressed in the button and waited for the two second interval before opening his mouth to speak. Although, he didn't talk to the guys. Why did it surprise me that he was going to play a prank on them? I shook my head.

The music in the studio quit playing throughout _Mikoto's_ as the guys listened, prepared to hear Konan on the other end of the speaker. Instead, they were on the other side of a prank.

"This is a holdup!" he shouted loud enough to make it sound convincing, but not loud enough to where he would upset Megumi. "Gimme all your money!"

Wasting no time, I heard the studio door opening, and I glanced over to see Yahiko's fiery orange hair soaring in the direction of the counter. In his hand, he had his drumsticks, prepared to attack the nonexistent invader. The other guys were close on his tail, ready to back up their fellow brother. Upon seeing no threat - upon seeing myself at Konan's side and Naruto behind the counter - Yahiko raised his eyebrows.

"What the hell?!" he shouted, unaware of the existence of a small baby in the room. Konan shushed him almost harshly, pressing the length of her index finger to her lips.

"Do you really want to wake the baby?" she scolded in a low voice, and her words took a few moments to register in the brains of the guys. When the light bulbs flickered on, excited and tender expressions filled the faces of my family. I turned around to face them, Megumi in my arms, and I strolled towards them, who were instantly mesmerized, just like the rest of us.

"Why is it that everytime I see one of Hinata's new babies, it makes me want to start a family?" Yahiko asked, his eyes flickering to Konan, who he still had not worked up the courage to propose marriage to.

Suigetsu smacked the back of Yahiko's flaming head. "If you want to start a family that badly, then seal the deal and do the deed!"

"Guys," Nagato scolded, physically separating the two guys by stepping in between them, constantly being the mediator. I could see what Tsunade and Konan were talking about, and I giggled a bit. "Hinata's probably tired. She doesn't need to listen to you two bicker."

"She's beautiful," Sasuke said, pushing forward towards me and gazing down at the face of my daughter, who sensed the presence of more and more strangers than she was used to. In order to keep her from crying again, I rocked her back and forth. "Have you picked out godparents yet?"

"Actually," I spoke, glancing backwards towards Naruto, who nodded, giving me permission to ask. We had talked about it for a long time, and after lots of thought, we had decided that the people we had hand-selected would take good care of Megumi, if something were to happen to us. I wanted godparents right away for her, because I knew what it was like to be without parents when you needed them. I never wanted any of my children to have to go through what I did: the excruciating pain, the consuming darkness, the absolute loneliness. I never wanted anybody to go through that.

My eyes flickered down to Megumi, who quit her second round of fussiness, then I allowed my eyes to face my family on either side of me. Yes, I was absolutely sure of this; the people that Naruto and I had agreed on would protect Megumi, nurture her, and smother her with love. I just prayed that they would agree to it.

"Konan, Yahiko," I turned my eyes to both of them, meeting their gaze back and forth. "Naruto and I talked it over, and we wanted you two to be Megumi's godparents."


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven_

The feeling of sitting on this couch in Tenten's apartment made me completely nostalgic. While my dear cousin had kidnapped my child from me, I had a chance to relax for a moment and get off of my feet. I could feel my mind wandering, and naming different things that had happened in this apartment. Right here - right where my feet lay kicked out in front of me - was the spot where Neji began pounding on Naruto because he had found that condom in the room that I had been sleeping in. It was also the spot where I shoved all fear out of my mind and body and stood in between my cousin's fist and my - at the time - boyfriend's face.

This sofa was still the same; older, but the same. I don't remember how many times Naruto and I would just lay here together, not really having anything to say, but at the same time not really wanting to be apart.

Behind me at the island in the kitchen was where Usui received his name even before Naruto and I became intimate. I couldn't help but to smile in spite of myself.

The sofa next to me was where I had found Sasuke the morning after prom, where he had initially delivered to me the news regarding Sakura's pregnancy complications. My eyes were glued to that spot where we stood in one another's embrace, bawling our eyes out in unison. We were the same - Sasuke and me - and so we both felt completely comfortable around each other. Had anybody else been with us, I doubt we would have let everything go at that moment. Neither of us would have cried, even if it had just been Naruto there with us. There was something about Sasuke that attracted me to him, not in the same way as I am attracted to my husband, but in a way that reminded me of the brother I never had.

And then, in the room down at the very end of the hall, was the room that Naruto and I had sacrificed our bodies to one another, where we had made the beautiful and satisfying transition from boyfriend-girlfriend to lovers.

Goosebumps rose up on my flesh as these memories encircled my brain, swallowing it whole and leaving me blind to everything happening now. The only reason I noticed that Naruto was now sitting at my right side was because our bodies touched, and I could feel the sparks fly between us. My head almost snapped in his direction, and he was ready and waiting with a kiss. Although, to both of our dismay, it didn't happen Hollywood big-screen perfect. Rather, our noses crashed into each others, and I could feel my cartilage jab upward almost painfully. Despite that, we couldn't help but let the laughter roll off of our tongues, and we were doubled over on the couch, me falling over onto my side and he sprawled over my thighs.

In that moment, we were no longer twenty five. We were no longer married with children. At that very moment, Naruto and I were eighteen again. Teenagers living without a care in the world. It was as if we were taken back those seven years ago, and we were still dating and had nothing to worry about. All we had to do was be with the other, and our hearts were content.

"Now there's a sight I haven't seen in awhile," Tenten laughed and sat on the other sofa, crossing one leg over the other and leaning on the arm. She watched us with warm chocolate eyes, and I could tell that she was remembering that short period of time when I had lived in this apartment. "It feels like only yesterday that I walk in the door and find you two wrapped around each other and laughing over nothing."

Because there was another person in the room - the person whose apartment we were occupying - Naruto and I sat up, not wanting to burden her with our falling aback in age. I did miss it, though, being eighteen. I went through some hard times back then, but Naruto was always with me, and Sakura too. Sometimes, I have to wonder: would I do it all again? Go through high school alone, officially meet Naruto in my junior year, become friends with Sakura, relive the devastating tragedy of my parents' final farewell, experience my first kiss, fall in love over and over, deal with the emotional agony of Sakura's complications... I think about this question so much, but I have yet to come to a conclusion.

"I miss those days, sometimes," Naruto said, his hand sliding up my thigh and finding my hand, where his fingers instinctively laced with mine. "Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, y'know? But sometimes," instead of finishing his sentence, Naruto blew a puff of air out of his mouth and rested his head on the back of the navy couch.

"You know, if you need a break, you can always bring the children here and we'll watch them," Neji said, gently bouncing the sleeping Megumi in his arms. His hair fell over his shoulders and brushed along my daughter's forehead, but that didn't seem to bother her. She was probably used to it already from mine doing the exact same thing. Neji brought himself over to join the party and sat himself down next to his girlfriend, who cooed at the baby. "I mean, we don't have kids, so it's not like you're really weighing us down."

"Are you thinking about starting a family yet?" I asked gently, nonchalantly, wiggling my body closer to Naruto's and cuddling under his arm. In all honesty, I was actually surprised that they hadn't made public any talk of engagement or children. They had been together all through middle school, and would have been highschool sweethearts, had Neji's parents not gotten into an accident. It baffled me that they were still an unwed couple.

Neji and Tenten exchanged a glance, and I couldn't tell what exactly they were communicating silently through their expression.

"If we're having this conversation as mature adults here," Tenten began, turning her attention back to us, "then I must say: the sex is amazing right now, and I'm not sure that I'm ready to give it up."

Oh no. The talk of sex between us as couples was not something that was comfortable for Neji. He was very private, and didn't really like to talk about what happens inside the bedroom.

Naruto, on the other hand, laughed. "Right?" he said, squeezing my hand, and I knew he was going to say something about our sex life, and so my body reacted first and pushed all of the blood in my body to my face. "But having kids doesn't completely ruin sex, obviously."

"Right, but it would be a lot different when you can't roll over in the morning or at night or whenever and just-"

"Hinata, do you want something to drink?" Neji stood up, interrupting the conversation on the frequency of sexual affairs between himself and Tenten. Saved by the bell. I jumped to my feet, allowing Naruto's hand to slip from mine, and I nodded.

"Yes, please," I said, relief evident in my sigh, and I followed my cousin into the kitchen. Once there, the conversation of sex - which clearly was still happening - was not as easy to hear. Neji handed over Megumi, our arms overlapping so that she would not be completely disrupted from her dreams.

"Have you two picked out godparents for Megumi yet?" he asked, turning towards the refrigerator and peering inside, as if he had no idea what inhabited the space within.

"Yeah," I murmured, smiling and gazing down upon my tiny little daughter. "We stopped by _Mikoto's_ before coming here," I told him as he turned around with a pitcher of herbal iced tea, which he placed in the center of the island. "Naruto and I ended up agreeing that Yahiko and Konan would be good candidates."

"Now what's the situation with them?" Neji asked as he turned away towards the cabinet, where he whipped open the wooden doors and retrieved two identical glasses with yellow flowers spiralling up the circumference. "Are they engaged yet, or are they still, you know, following Tenten's logic?"

I let out an honest laugh. "They're still boyfriend and girlfriend. I don't know how sexually active they are; Konan is classy and Yahiko isn't one to kiss and tell."

Sitting down at one of the bar stools around the corner from where I sat, Neji held the pitcher with a single hand and poured tea into both cups, allowing not a single drop to plummet to the table. I watched in a trance as the glasses were filled, leaving an inch between the meniscus and the brim. The first glass, he pushed over in my direction, and I reached out my left hand and wrapped my fingers around it. I had become quite skilled at being left handed, because I always held my children in my right arm. It was my strong arm, and so I wouldn't settle for anything less.

"Those two have been together forever," he commented, filling up his own glass in the exact same manner. "I'm surprised that they're not married yet."

"We all are. But I guess it's whatever makes them happy is what counts, right?"

Neji smiled and gazed down into his drink, watching his reflection bounce off of the lights above us. "I guess so. What did they say when you asked them to be godparents?"

"Those two jumped for joy. First they hugged each other, then they exchanged hugs with both Naruto and me. If that wasn't enough of an acceptance, they nodded quickly as if they were on a sugar rush and said 'yes, yes, a thousand times yes!'"

"I think they're a good pick." Neji brought his glass to his lips and took a single sip. I think he may have been thirstier than he thought, because after that first taste, he downed about half of what was in his cup. Half empty. Almost mechanically, he refilled what had been taken all too soon. "You know, I'm really happy that you're doing okay," Neji confessed, catching me a little off guard. "I was a little worried about you and Naruto getting married right out of high school."

I forced a joking grin onto my face, despite the fact that I knew my cousin would see right through whatever mask I put forth. "Why would you be worried?"

"Because the majority of high school relationships don't last too long after graduation."

"I know that," I murmured, and I could feel the blood boiling under my skin. I was well aware of this fact, so why was I getting so angry? Just the thought of losing Naruto filled me with all of these negative emotions that I just couldn't control. What would I do if another woman came along and snatched Naruto from me? No, I can't even think about that. "But Naruto and I are different," I spoke softly. "We fall in love over and over again, every time our eyes meet."

Neji smiled and turned his eyes back down into his drink. "I'm glad to hear that, Hinata."

OoO

"Hi!" I met the tender and loving embrace of Sakura, who squeezed me tightly, both of us twisting in awkward positions to keep from squishing our newborns. Her pink tresses smothered my nostrils and I couldn't stop myself from inhaling. She smelled like strawberries. After freeing me from her grasp, she turned to Naruto and pulled him close too, in an amorous and strictly platonic embrace. "Hinata, you look really great for having given birth four days ago," she complimented me with a smile, and I couldn't help but notice the tired bags under her eyes. I probably didn't look any different.

"Thanks," I said with a warm smile, turning my eyes to my stomach, which was flattening out rather swiftly. I couldn't complain. "The baby flab doesn't stick around too much with me."

"Lucky," Sakura muttered before closing the door behind us, welcoming us into the beautiful home that she shared with Sasuke. Naruto kicked off his shoes, then carefully slipped mine off of my foot, one at a time. "Like always, make yourselves at home. Naruto, wait on your wife head to toe."

Footsteps came from the hall, and I glanced over to see Itachi Uchiha entering the main room, Senri strung on his back. A wide-eyed grin spread up across his cheeks, and I could see his eyes glisten as he stepped into a ray of natural sunlight.

"Hinata," he spoke my name warmly and moved his feet in my direction. Before taking me into his arms, he lowered himself to allow Senri to jump off onto the carpet. I handed Megumi to Naruto, who took her almost unwillingly, and I turned to face Itachi, who took me into his tight embrace. Tightly, I constricted my arms around him as if I hadn't seen him in years, a grin setting into my lips. Itachi and I had gotten really close over the years, and he was a dear friend of mine that I think Naruto got jealous of. It was as if he thought Itachi was going to win my heart. Of course, he did, but not in the way that Naruto did. Romantically, my husband is the only man I would ever love.

"Hi, Itachi," I grunted as the squeeze became too tight, and my eyes opened wide whenever I felt a warm, wet sensation dripping down my torso. He could feel it too, I knew, because simultaneously, we both backed away from one another, and I stood in horror, staring at his shirt. My face burned bright red with embarrassment as I realized what had happened: my breasts leaked.

He had to be disgusted, I knew he had to be. I was, despite the fact that I knew it was a natural bodily function for me right now.

"I am so sorry, I..." I didn't know what to say. The degradation I felt falling down upon me was almost too heavy, and a part of me wanted to cry.

"What do you look so horrified for?" he asked, maintaining that warm smile on his face. "Do you know how many times I've been lactated on?" It sounded like a silly question, and I forced myself to laugh, but then I realized that the rhetorical question had been in all seriousness.

"It's true," Sakura vouched for her brother-in-law. She turned her eyes down to her three-month-old son and snickered. "Takumi takes _so_ long to feed that my arms generally get tired. So I have Itachi hold him for me." Turning to seven-year-old Senri, who looked overly excited, Sakura bent over and flashed her teeth. "Want to do Mommy a favor?"

"Yes! Yes!" Senri jumped up and down excitedly, too rambunctious from being cooped up in the house for the past few days.

"Sit on the couch," she directed, and without another bat of the eye, Senri was pulling himself up onto the chocolate leather sofa at my left side. He knew what having to sit down meant; he was going to get to hold his baby brother. "Protect Takumi," Sakura told him in a soft yet stern voice. With strong muscles, she lowered herself to a squat and carefully forfeited her youngest son to Senri. It was almost amazing at how quickly he calmed down when Takumi was placed into his arms. There was a look of pure admiration for the small and vulnerable life within his lap. She turned to me and nodded. "Let's get you a clean shirt."

"Okay," I nodded, moving towards the hallway.

"Mind if I throw this in the washing machine?" Itachi asked, and instinctively, I turned around along with Sakura and almost drooled all over the flawless ocean blue carpet. Itachi had ripped his shirt off and had balled it up in his hands already, looking to Sakura for the answer to his question. He was well-sculpted, I must admit, with three abdominal muscles poking over his stomach on either side. It was almost funny, because with his shirt on, he didn't look that muscular.

From behind, I could see Naruto roll his eyes and turn his attention back down to our daughter, who started to get fussy.

"Go ahead," Sakura waved her hand over her head. "You're here practically every day, so you can just pick it up tomorrow."

"Hell, want me to just do the laundry?" he asked, and I was almost impressed at how helpful he was being around the youngest Uchiha's house while he was at work.

"That would be fantastic."

When Megumi began crying, I turned around instantly, wanting to do anything that would make her happy.

"She hasn't eaten in awhile," Naruto said and handed her off to me like a relay baton - an extremely fragile relay baton. "I think she's hungry."

I groaned and hung my head. "You couldn't have decided this two minutes sooner?" I questioned my daughter, who wept in my arms' cradle.

"You can do that in my room, if you want," Sakura said, leading me down the hall to the opened door straight ahead. Light shone through the windows that stretched wide across the walls, and when I stepped through the door after Sakura, she closed it to give the room some privacy. Without a word, she took Megumi from me so that I could take off the saturated shirt. With a single hand, I reached around behind me and unclasped my bra, allowing it to fall loose in my hand. Balling up the wet clothes, I exchanged them with Sakura for my baby, who blindedly latched her mouth onto my breast.

"Do you have a plastic bag I can put those in?" I asked my pinkette best friend before sitting down on top of the pin-straight crimson comforter that layered Sakura and Sasuke's bed.

Sakura snickered. "Sweetie, Itachi's doing the wash for me. I'll just throw it in the hamper and place it outside in the hall. He'll come get it."

I laughed out loud as she began going through her closet, sorting through a shirt to let me borrow. "It must be nice to have him around the house."

"Oh my gosh, it is," she breathed a sigh of relief. "Whenever Sasuke isn't here, I get so overwhelmed. Itachi helps out a lot to keep me calm. Plus, it's nice having him here. And I think it's good that the boys develop a good relationship with their uncle."

"That's true," I said, feeling a contraction in my uterus. It wasn't too painful; just uncomfortable enough to cause me to squirm in my seat. "I kind of wish that my children had an aunt or an uncle to bond with. I mean, I know that they call you and Sasuke "aunt" and "uncle," and they do the same for Neji. But I mean...I don't know."

"I know what you're saying," Sakura spoke, tearing a sky blue V-neck T-shirt out of her closet. "It's different for you guys, because your kids don't have blood-related aunts and uncles, and only have one set of grandparents."

"Don't get me wrong, I love Minato and Kushina. They come over and help Naruto out all the time while I'm at work, and Neji and Tenten are willing to do the same. It's just that I wish my parents were still around to see the beautiful children that Naruto and I made."

_I wish Hanabi had made it..._

Sakura chuckled. "Looks like we're going to have to spoil your kids more, to help make up for what they don't have."

I shook my head. "You spoil them enough, Sakura."

"Yes, but Megumi is free-game. I don't have a daughter, so I'll buy her the latest fashion trends, and she'll have so many shoes." Sakura sat down beside me and gazed down upon my daughter, looking at her with so much love. That was when I realized: blood-relation didn't matter. Sakura and Sasuke loved my children to the ends of the earth, loved them as if they were their own children. "She's going to be really pretty, you know that?" she murmured, quiet, as so not to disturb the hungry baby. "She'll be the most beautiful girl around, inside and out. Just like her mother."


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight_

I watched my husband so closely, admiring how intimately he held our daughter within his hands. The tender love and affection was evident to the naked eye, and nothing could have made me happier. Sitting to my right, cross-legged on the carpeted floor with his back against the leather couch, Naruto held Megumi gently, one hand supporting her head, the other under her tiny little body, protecting her from the cruel hands of gravity. Every so often, he would lean down and press his lips to her forehead or her cheeks, silently telling her that he was there, that she was okay in this foreign place filled with unfamiliar people.

Across from us, Itachi and Sakura sat, taking turns rocking Takumi back and forth. For some reason or another, I loved watching the two of them, because they were so close. In-lawed siblings? That was not evident by their actions. Rather, they looked as if they could pass for brother and sister, blood-related. A part of me was so happy for them, because I knew that sometimes, in-laws weren't as close as imagined. However, another part of me could feel the sadness seeping up through my body, capturing my heart within its grasp and squeezing it so tight, I thought it would explode. It made me wish with all of my bleeding heart that Hanabi had made it through her birth, and that she could share with Naruto the happiness that was exchanged between Sakura and Itachi.

But that cannot be, and that was something that I was going to have to live with.

I turned my eyes to Sakura, who was handing Takumi off to Itachi, their hands overlapping in order to support him in all the right places.

"So how did childbirth go for you this time?" Sakura asked me, almost catching me off guard as my mind had begun to wander every which way. I blinked once, twice, and once the question registered in my mind, I opened my mouth to speak.

"It was rough," I said, recalling the fear and uncertainty that I had felt the entire time, from the moment the storm began until the minute it ended. "If Naruto's parents hadn't been there with us, I don't know what I would have done."

"Oh yeah," Itachi nodded once, allowing his body to rest backwards on the sofa that mirrored the one behind me. "Didn't Kushina help my mother deliver me?"

"Yeah she did," Naruto said matter-of-factly, the pride in his family shining clear throughout the grin that stretched from ear to ear. "And your dad passed out."

Itachi laughed warm-heartedly, his body radiating a welcoming vibe. "I know that one; Mom never lets Dad forget it. Anytime they get into an argument, she pulls out the 'at least I stayed conscious through our firstborn son's birth' trump card."

I attempted to force a laugh out of my gut, but all that came out was silent air. The way he said it, I felt almost guilty that I had lost consciousness over and over during Usui's birth. Was I a bad mother because of that? I wasn't sure if I could even begin to answer that question.

As if coming to my rescue, the door opened and Sasuke stumbled through, exhausted from another business day at _Mikoto's_. Although, I knew from experience that it was a good kind of exhaustion, the kind where you know you got enough done and looked forward to it the next day. That was the greatest thing about our family at _Mikoto's_; we all love our jobs, because we love one another and enjoy making music together. At least, that's how I feel.

Simultaneously, a round of greetings occurred as he kicked his Franco Vanucci's off at the door. He tossed his keys to the floor without a care and took the few steps over to where we were all seated in our pow wow. Utterly exhausted, he fell to his knees, exchanged a quick kiss with his wife, and collapsed onto his stomach, groaning. For a moment, we were all silent, watching as the newcomer made himself comfortable by yanking a pillow off of the couch and stuffing it under his chest. His midnight eyes turned to me and I could feel myself beginning to blush as his attention focused solely on me.

"You have no idea how hard it is at work without you," he said to me, and I blinked in complete perplex. Before I could even think about asking what he meant by that, his mouth was already opening to provide an explanation. "The Yahiko and Suigetsu are so rowdy without you there. They're constantly bugging Konan, because she's the only woman there. Nagato is getting fed up with being a mediator when they get into it, and he generally turns them to Konan, just to get them out of his hair."

"That couldn't possibly have anything to do with me?" I said, although it came out with the inflection of a question. I didn't see the correlation between my absence and their restlessness. It had to be something else, or perhaps Sasuke was simply jumping to irrational conclusions.

"Oh, it happens every time you go on maternity leave," he said, and I raised an eyebrow. This was the first that I was hearing about such incidents. "You may not realize it, but your presence is a big mediator in of itself. Because both Suigetsu and Yahiko are gentlemen, they try to keep their cool in front of ladies, which is why you being at work keeps them in check."

I couldn't help but to laugh a little; so they really did need me at work. "Well tell them that they have to control themselves for eight weeks - at most - until I come back."

Sasuke groaned. "I have to wait until November to get some peace?"

"Or earlier, if the doctor approves my returning early," I spoke softly and reassuringly, but it didn't seem to help my dear friend, who allowed his arms to break out from under him. He buried his face into the carpet and sighed. "I'm sure you can keep them under control until then."

"Why don't you take them to a gym?" Naruto chimed in, and all eyes turned to him. "Let them get into a boxing ring for a couple of hours, pound the snot out of one another, and then they'll be good, y'know?"

"That's not a bad idea," Itachi agreed with him, nodding and allowing his gaze to fall to his brother, who had glanced up at Naruto. For a moment, their eyes met, and they were staring at one another, as if having a private conversation between men.

"That's what Tsunade did when she first came to Konoha High," Sasuke said, and I listened carefully. I hadn't been there for two years of the boys' basketball experience, and apparently, I missed more than I thought I had. "None of us really got along too well, except for Choji and Shikamaru."

"Wait a minute," Sakura interjected, placing herself into the center of their reminiscent flashback. "You're telling me that a high school basketball coach took the team out to a boxing ring and allowed them to pound on each other?"

"It sounds strange, but it worked," Sasuke turned his attention to his wife, whose eyebrows furrowed.

"Freshman year, every Friday after practice, she would take us," Naruto explained, and Sakura's gaze met his. "A lot of frustrations with each other built up throughout the week, and so we would get to duke it out. Believe it or not, we all got closer that way. Our performance increased, as well as our teamwork."

"Soon enough," Sasuke continued, "we all began to get closer, and our acquaintanceship turned to friendship. Hell, on the last Friday of every month, she would make it tournament, and the winner would get to fight her. Of course, the very first time, none of us really wanted to hit a girl."

"It was a contest, so naturally I had to put my all into it," Naruto chuckled. "I ended up going against Tsunade, and she kicked my butt so hard. We all got determined to beat her."

"Who did end up beating her?" I asked, curiosity taking over my mind and caused me to crave more information.

"No one." Naruto shrugged, a little hint of disappointment in his voice. "We all tried so hard, but every time, she always had us flat on our backs."

I laughed lightly and full-heartedly. "Yeah, that does sound like Coach Tsunade."

"Thanks for bringing that up," Sasuke said genuinely. "I think I may use that tactic. Heck, Konan could probably kick all of their asses to Timbuktu."

Movement from within the hallway caught my attention, and instinctively, I glanced up and noticed Senri coming towards the main room, a look of both fatigue and excitement within his emerald eyes. I knew that he and Sasuke had an excellent father-son relationship, and that Sasuke was teaching him how to play the piano. I believe that it would be physically impossible for the two not to be close, especially taking the complications into account. Sasuke had almost lost his son; he wouldn't ever push that child away. Eyeing him curiously, I watched as he came over to where we were all seated comfortably, and he laid down on his father's back. Sasuke grunted with the extra weight crushing him to the floor, but he didn't push his son away. Rather, he accepted the force on his spine and reached his arm backwards, fluffing his hand through Senri's thick black mop.

"What's for dinner?" Sasuke asked, rolling his head over on the side so that he could face his wife. Sakura dragged her shoulders up to her ears and let them drop, signalling that she hadn't even given food a thought.

"What are you hungry for?" she questioned, rubbing her palms up and down the length of her quadriceps. Sakura was exhausted, I could tell, and I knew from experience how draining raising small children could be. And then there was tending to the house and making meals. Luckily for me, Naruto did most of the housework while I brought in a steady paycheck. He took great care of the boys, and I couldn't be more grateful to him. Sakura was lucky that she had Itachi to help her out. Naruto, on the other hand, would be dealing with three children by himself when I return to work. I'm sure, though, that Minato and Kushina would help him; they love our children.

"I don't even know." Sasuke shook his head and turned his attention to Naruto and me. "What do you guys think?"

I moved my head back and forth in denial of the indirect offer to eat dinner with them, much to my dismay. They were my best friends; I would love to spend more time with them - Sakura, especially, since I don't see her as much anymore.

"We can't stay," I said, my voice taking on the disappointment of a sigh. "His parents are watching the boys. They've had them all afternoon, there's no way that I can consciously pawn my kids off on them the entire day."

I glanced over at Naruto when I saw his hands move over to me, passing our daughter to me gently, oh so careful so as not to wake her from her sweet dreams. Without a word, I graciously took her into my arms, feeling whole again the moment her tiny little body was touching me. From beside me, my husband leaned closer to me, fishing his phone out of his jeans pocket. Nobody said anything as he flipped open the head and began dialing a number, placing it upon his right ear after punching in his connection. It was so silent, and so I could hear the muffled sound of artificial ringing. It sounded once, twice, thrice, before somebody picked up.

"What'cha need?" I heard the voice on the other end, just barely, and by the sound of her voice, I could tell that it was Kushina.

"Ma, can I have some friends over for dinner?" he asked, and I grinned a little. It sounded as if he was still a teenager, living at home and wondering if the guys could come over after basketball practice. From the other end, I heard her laugh hysterically, in the cackle that never failed to make me laugh with her. I held myself back, though, because I knew that she was going to crack a joke.

"What friends?" she said, and Naruto's face dropped. He knew that she was only kidding, and so it was crystal clear that his offense was only in good humor. Slumped back against the couch as if he had just taken a blow to the gut, Naruto puffed out a breath of air.

"Wow, Ma, thanks," he grunted, joking back with her; their relationship was so strong, and they were like best friends. They were cute, and it made me wish that I had been that close with my mother.

I could just see her in my head, recollecting her composure and becoming serious - or, at least, as serious as she would need to be for this casual situation.

"Dinner is at six thirty. Come hungry," she said in agreement to the request, and a bright, beaming smile stretched wide across Naruto's face.

"Thanks, Ma," he said before hanging up, and then turned to look at his friends, who were already beginning to stand back up to their feet. Itachi and I made almost the same maneuvers as we attempted to get from our butts to our feet without the use of our hands, which were clearly occupied by the most precious treasures. I rocked forward gently, bringing myself from a pretzel sit to a kneel, all the while, tried with all my might not to disturb Megumi. Once on my knees, I was able to press a foot flat onto the ground and push myself upwards, rocking back onto my heels. Itachi flashed a smile at me, giving me a silent kudos for the successful stand-up. I grinned back at him, and we both took a step closer to one another, preparing for conversation.

"They're like fragile little accessories, aren't they?" he said with a laugh, and I had to giggle, because it was so true. Once you have a baby, it becomes a universal accessory that you must take everywhere you go.

"That can't be any more true." I nodded once before Naruto wrapped an arm around my waist, taking my attention away from Itachi. While I practically knew that the diversion was meant to be such, I couldn't help but give my husband my full and undivided attention. I guess that's what happens when you're madly in love.

"We ready?" he asked me, and I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only four forty-five, but before I could open my mouth to object, Naruto read my mind and began speaking again. "We can hang out there, play some video games."

I do like to play video games with Naruto and Minato, even though I'm nowhere near as good as they are. And I would also get to see my boys. I have such terrible separation anxiety when it comes to my children. I never want to let them go. With those thoughts in mind, it was close to impossible for me to deny going over early. The boys could play video games, Senri would get to play with Usui and Tadashi, and I could help Kushina with the cooking.

I guess we have a game plan.

OoO

I stepped out of Itachi's car, my feet landing on the hard asphalt of the parking lot. With Megumi still cradled in both of my arms, I shut the door with my hip with just enough force for it to close and latch, but not enough for it to slam and disturb the baby. I waited for Naruto and Itachi, who both exited the vehicle from the driver's side. It was clear as day to me that Naruto nonchalantly speed-walked over to my side, as if in a race with Itachi to get to me first. He was so jealous with absolutely no reason to be. I wonder if Itachi could sense Naruto claiming his territory. Did men have some kind of intuition with that stuff?

Naruto constricted an arm behind my back and latched onto my hip protectively, and my heart fluttered at the notion. While the jealousy thing didn't make any sense to me, I did love the fact that he thought that there was a better man out there for me. If anybody should be jealous, it should be me, shouldn't it? I mean, I'm so shy, and he's so outgoing. He would be the life of a party, while I'd be the one hiding in a corner, afraid to talk to people. Shouldn't I be jealous that other girls probably noticed all of his good features - physical and personality? I sighed internally.

The three of us waited for Sakura and Sasuke, who we had lost at a red light a few blocks back. They were pulling into the parking lot right as we came to a standstill at the back bumper of Itachi's sleek black Jaguar. Sasuke, who used to be such a reckless driver, had learned to use caution, now that he had the lives of his wife and children in his hands. His gray Mercedes Benz creeped into the parking lot tentatively, and a drive that used to take him all of a second and a half now took him almost fifteen seconds. With skill and precision, Sasuke backed his car up parallel to his brother's, careful not to hit anything on his way back.

Patiently, we waited for him. After the car had been put into park and turned off, he jumped out of the car and rushed to the other side, opening the door for his love, who pecked him on the side of the mouth before turning to the back door to remove Takumi from his car seat. Senri was already out of the car and by his uncle's side. Itachi, like Sasuke, ran his hand through Senri's thick head of hair, puffing it up into a feathery mess. He was going to be one of those boys that could roll out of bed and greet the day with a beautiful bed head.

Sakura and Sasuke came around the side of the car, hand in hand. In Sakura's other hand was a carrier, in which Takumi was strapped into comfortably, and he was awake and taking in his surroundings. He was so cute.

For a moment, our little party stood there in the parking lot of Naruto's parents' apartment, glancing back and forth at one another in complete silence. The second passed by quickly, and there was a light pressure on my hip, pushing in the direction of the apartment complex. It was that tiny little motion that caused all of us to begin moving in that direction. In that instant, a thousand conversations started within us, and we attempted to keep one person talking at once, so nobody would have to speak over another. Sakura wanted to talk to me about whatever it was we talked about. Itachi and Sasuke were locked in conversation with Naruto. Soon enough, I was straining to focus on just Sakura's voice, and so the words that came out of the men around me jumbled in my thoughts.

Trying so hard to focus, I didn't realize that the stairs leading up to the third floor were at my feet - at least, not until I hit them with my toes and stumbled. Instinctively, I pressed Megumi's face to my chest and held her with an increased pressure, prepared to hit face-first. Protecting my daughter was the only thing on my mind.

Naruto threw his other arm over my chest, protecting both Megumi and myself. He caught me with strong arms and held me until I regained my footing.

"You okay?" he asked me, gazing into my eyes, into my heart, which skipped a beat the moment our pupils locked. Unable to bring myself to speak any words, I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. Using every ounce of force within me, I heaved my attention away from him and down to my feet, which took to the first step very cautiously. With my husband at my side and my friends behind me, I started up the stairs that would lead me to two things that I loved more than life itself: my mother- and father-in law, and my sons.

_A note from the author:_

_Sumimasen, guys! I know I haven't updated in forever, but it's not my fault! When I graduated, I had to give back the laptop that I had been using to update everyday. Since then, I haven't had a computer to write with. It was killing me! But my laptop for college came in, and I should be writing and updating much more frequently. Thank you for all of the patients and support!_

_~voodooprincess1331_


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine_

The men were on the couch in the open area beyond the open kitchen, pounding away on the poor controllers within their hands. Because I wasn't particularly paying attention to them, I didn't know exactly who was winning, but I could tell just from listening that it wasn't Sasuke. Constant grunts of 'dammit' and 'little bitch' escaped from his lips, and I was glad that Senri, Usui and Tadashi were in Naruto's old room, playing with cars and dinosaurs. At the table in between the kitchen and the loudmouth couch, Megumi and Takumi were snuggled in their own carriers, sitting across from one another so that they could amuse the other. Every so often, Sakura and I would unconsciously turn around to check and make sure that they were okay.

Then there was us: Kushina, Sakura and me, and we were slaving away within the kitchen, preparing _nikujaga _for our families that had come together tonight. Sakura hovered over the right countertop, cutting the potatoes with a knife that could have been a little larger. But she picked that one, already with the knowledge of the task she was going to be in charge of. To her left, my eyes watered profusely as the onion that I sliced tickled my tear ducts. I hated this job, in all honesty, but somebody had to do it, and I wasn't one to argue and make things difficult for others. Kushina stood over the stove, throwing the beef and the small ingredients into a sauce pan.

"I haven't seen you and Sasuke in such a while," Kushina said, glancing over her shoulder at Sakura, who smiled as she sliced. "How have you guys been?"

Sakura picked a bowl up from her left side and began piling the diced potatoes within it, watching as they quickly filled and overflowed the bowl. Attempting once to put them back in, only to have them avalanche back down onto the cutting board, she gave up and finished her job, turning around and leaning back on the counter. Her eyes met Kushina's as she did the same, standing to the side of the pan and keeping an eye on the simmering dish.

"We've been well," she said, stretching her shoulders backwards and compressing her scapulas. "Very, very busy since Takumi was born. I guess we could have more time to ourselves, but Takumi doesn't always sleep through the night."

Kushina chuckled, clearly understanding the dilemma of children coming between the sexual heat and passion of young lovers. I could relate, as well, wanting more time with just Naruto and me. With Megumi, though, that desire wasn't going to happen any time soon.

"I remember that frustration," Kushina said, sounding nostalgic. "When we had Naruto, it was a good year before Minato and I were able to become intimate. He took up a lot of our time, attention, and energy."

"What about you, Hina?" Sakura asked me, and my face burned brighter than the sun. I knew that we were all women who had experienced many heated passions, however forming them into words was something that I wasn't good at. It seemed as though everybody wanted to talk about sex today. I turned around, ignoring the rest of the onion that brought unwanted tears to my eyes, and I faced my best friend and mother in-law.

"We haven't had sex since we found out we were having Megumi," I said bluntly, not really knowing how to put these things into words.

"You stopped completely?!" Sakura gasped, shocked at what I thought was normal.

"You're supposed to stop having sex when you're pregnant, aren't you?" I asked, glancing back and forth between Kushina and Sakura, who exchanged glances and shook their heads simultaneously.

"No, you can have as much sex as you want. It won't harm the baby." Sakura blinked and laughed. "If that was a rule, Sasuke and I would have died from sexual deprivation. You can probably vouch for that, Hinata."

I nodded, knowing just how much my dear friends enjoyed the intimacy. While we were quiet for a moment, Kushina held out her hands, signalling for Sakura and me to sacrifice our sliced vegetables to her, so that she could toss them in the pot with the beef and ginger.

From in the other room, Naruto jumped up, cheering while Sasuke gripped patches of his hair and groaned. Minato and Itachi continued beating the keys with their thumbs, duking it out in a game that I had not seen before. I grinned at the men that were in my life, completely content with the way everything had been turning out.

My eyes caught my husband, and they hooked and latched onto him with no intention of letting go. Just watching him caused my hormones to flare up, and despite the fact that I was still sore, I wanted him. I didn't know how it was going to work, but I had to have him soon, or the sexual tension was going to be the death of me.

Instantly, my attention was diverted when I heard a thump, followed by the cries of my youngest son. As if my life depended on it, I sprinted out of the kitchen and past the table. Naruto had been ready to do the same, I could tell, but he stopped when he saw me fly by. Still, he twisted around and watched as I ran into the hall, where Tadashi was laying face down on the floor. My heart stopped, but my body kept going, and I slid to a single knee and picked him up gingerly. His tears caused my heart to sink into the pits of my stomach, and I wanted to do anything in my power to make it better.

On his forehead was a little bruise, caused by his hitting it on the hardwood floors of his grandparents' apartment. I was instantly aware of the fact that he had been running in the house, despite the fact that both Naruto and I have told him time and time again not to do it, that he was going to hurt himself. It was by the grace of the heavens that he had nothing more than a little discoloration on his forehead.

"This is why we don't run in the house," I told him, sitting down on the floor and holding my toddler in my lap. Pressing my lips to his forehead, I kissed his small child battle-wound, because for some reason, mom's kisses make everything better. And for that same reason, Tadashi quit his crying and he pressed his tiny little hands to my clavicles. A big, toothy grin spread across his face, and I couldn't help but to smile with him and touch my forehead to his. A cackle that reminded me of his grandmother emerged from his throat, and it was just as contagious as Kushina's. My heart felt warm at his obvious happiness and his childlike innocence. I couldn't possibly continue scolding him right now. He was going to have to learn the hard way and keep falling down.

Knowing that I had to part with my son for now, I lifted him off of my lap and set him down on his own two feet, smoothing out the overalls that I knew would just become wrinkled as soon as I turned my back.

"Go play with Senri and Usui," I told him, and he whirled around and took off running down the hall and to the room on his right. "And no running!" I shouted after him, knowing all too well that he would continue to do it. It's as if Naruto and I taught him how to run, forgetting to teach him the fundamentals of walking. I sighed and stood up, feeling the aching sensation in my lower body as my thighs brushed together under my healing pelvis. Taking in a sharp breath, as if attempting to relieve the pain, I stood for a moment, allowing the quick jolt of shock to pass through my body.

The moment I turned around, I caught Naruto's gaze. He hadn't turned back around, despite the fact that he probably heard Tadashi's laugh, signalling that he was okay. I smiled at him, and him at me, and we had a private conversation as I moved through the hallway.

"_He's okay,"_ I said through my eyes, and Naruto comprehended what I said with a nod, and then he raised his eyebrows and winked at me, causing me to blush as I moved through the open area of the apartment. He was so beautiful, I couldn't stand it. Simultaneously, we both turned back to our respective focuses, and I noticed Sakura crouched in front of Takumi's carrier. Kushina was behind her, bending forward with her hands on her knees, and she was making faces at the baby. As I drew near, the sound of whimpers became audible, and it was only then that I had noticed Takumi crying. Oh, I prayed to the heavens that Megumi wouldn't start; it seemed as though when one baby started crying, they all started crying.

Moving around the chairs, I stood next to Kushina and leaned forward like she was, only instead of making faces, I smiled at Takumi. For some reason, when I smiled at babies, they generally always smiled back. But Takumi was persistent in his fussiness.

Sakura groaned. "Please don't tell me you're hungry," she muttered, unstrapping her infant from within his protective chair. "You take _so_ long to eat."

"If you want privacy and some peace and quiet, just use my room," Kushina offered her, standing up straight and pointing to the hall. "The last door on your left."

"Thanks," Sakura said, and though her tone didn't sound gracious, as mothers, both Kushina and I sensed her gratitude. "You better not make me late for dinner, you little fart. Mommy's hungry, too."

"We'll stall dinner as long as possible," the red-headed beauty beside me said before jabbing her hands to her hips and glancing at me. My eyes flickered to her, and it looked as if she were about to say something, but both of us glanced over to the guys when we heard Itachi's voice.

"Need some help?" he asked genuinely, and Sasuke's head snapped in his brother's direction, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What the hell?" Sasuke shouted, thinking his brother to be a complete pervert, and a moron, for asking such a question in his presence. Itachi placed his controller on the coffee table and stood up, shaking off Sasuke.

"With the baby, not the boobies," he said, and I could almost hear an adolescent tone in his voice, almost mocking his little brother. I guess sibling rivalry never did wear off. It would always be there, and brothers will be brothers.

Sakura stopped for a moment before entering the hallway, cradling her infant tenderly in her arms. Glancing over her shoulder, her eyes met the Uchiha brothers, and she stifled a laugh at their boyish immaturity.

"Daddy should come help with this one," she said. "I'll give you a break, Itachi." Without another word, Sakura turned back for the hall and proceeded down. In silence, Sasuke sprang from the couch and tossed his controller in his seat. An exchange of mocking faces occurred between the brothers, and he swiftly stalked his wife into Minato and Kushina's bedroom.

"Remember, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted after him, dropping his controller long enough to turn around completely on the sofa, pressing his knees into the back. He almost whacked Minato in the face with his elbow, and would have, if Minato's reflexes weren't feline-like. "You're feeding the baby, not practicing your mattress aerobics!"

"Can it, loser!" Sasuke's voice spit from the hall, and I couldn't help but to laugh at the banter. It was almost like being in high school again. You know, minus the small children frolliking about the apartment.

"You might want to check and see if Megumi is hungry right now," Kushina suggested, and I returned my attention to my mother in-law. "That way you'll be less likely to be interrupted during your own meal."

Good idea. I nodded once and moved in closer to Megumi, who watched me with the striking eyes of her father. My mouth stretched across my cheeks as I met her face to face, bending over to release the clasp on her safety belt. Her little legs kicked in excitement, as if she had been out of my arms for far too long.

"Hi, sweetie," I cooed over her as I constricted my fingers around the back of her head and underneath her butt, lifting her out of her carrier. The little headband with the bow that wrapped itself around her dark head of hair slipped upward as my fingertips brushed against it. Bringing her upwards to look her in the eye and exchange smiles with her, I pressed my lips to her small, soft forehead. Before I began moving towards the hall, I tucked Megumi between my chin and my chest, protecting her from anything the world could throw at her.

Itachi chuckled. "Do _you_ need help?" he asked me, and my lips curled up in an awkward grin, because I wanted to laugh, but I also knew that Naruto would be throwing a jealous fit in about two seconds.

One... two...

"Hey, buddy!" Naruto jumped up off of the couch and dropped his controller in his spot next to his father. "That's _my_ wife, not yours. Nobody helps her except for me!"

_Oh, Naruto,_ I sighed and continued walking towards the hall, my destination being the extra room next to Naruto's. _I love you._

Swiftly, he got himself to my side and wrapped an arm around my waist, claiming me as his territory. While I didn't understand his jealousy, I was almost thankful for it, because it meant that he loved me. It was what I had wanted for so long, and to finally have it now meant everything to me. If dealing with a jealous husband was the only price I had to pay for his love, then I say okay! I think Itachi could sense Naruto's envy, because I heard him snicker behind us.

Taking the first door on the right, Naruto and I entered the spare room, which hasn't changed since high school. It was still filled with bean bag chairs and futon loveseats. The small television that we used to fall asleep watching was now unplugged, and I doubt it got used anymore. This room had so many memories, some that would make me blush. It was quite possible that Usui was conceived in this room. Of course, I didn't know for sure, but the memories of the promiscuous fun Naruto and I had came fresh in my mind the moment we entered the room.

Behind me, he closed the door, and I made my way over to the navy loveseat against the wall on my left. It hadn't moved an inch since we had moved into our apartment all those years ago, which only emphasised the nostalgia coming back to me through all five senses. With steady movements, I lowered myself down and handed my daughter over to Naruto, who held her carefully as I stripped away the T-shirt I borrowed from Sakura. I could see his eyes stray away from my body and to Megumi, as if he were holding himself back from staring as I unhooked the borrowed bra that was three sizes too small. The moment I looked away, I could see my husband sneak a peek at my breasts from my peripheral vision.

"Why are you hiding the fact that you're looking?" I asked him, bringing my eyes back to his, which averted towards the other end of the room swiftly. "It's not like you've never seen them before."

Did I really just say that? That was something I had never even dreamed of saying. I've heard Sakura say it so many times, that I guess the phrase just rubbed off on me and slipped past my tongue. In complete embarrassment, my face burned bright red, and now it was me who turned away. While what I said was true, I just couldn't believe that I let the words slide out of my mouth. When the heck did I build up the confidence to say that?

Naruto chuckled, which eased the situation a little.

"I guess you're right about that one," he said, plopping easily down next to me and handing off Megumi to me. "They're bigger, maybe that has something to do with it."

"They're too big," I grumbled, feeling completely comfortable with my husband. Naruto was one of the only people in the world that I felt one hundred percent comfortable around, and that made me so happy. We're best friends and lovers. We're spouses and parents. And we're madly in love. "And they're heavy," I added, watching as Megumi latched herself onto one of my breasts.

"They're perfect," Naruto said, gazing down at our daughter. I could feel his hand press down into the material of the futon behind me as he leaned backwards on it. "They always have been, no matter what size."

"Yeah well, they could afford to lose a few pounds." I turned my eyes to meet his, and he did the same. We both exchanged little grins, and Naruto pecked my lips once, then twice. And a third time. We were quiet for a moment, letting the atmosphere swirl around inside our heads, within our senses. Quite obviously, both of us knew that we couldn't take it further than these kisses; not in front of Megumi; not while our family was outside the door; not while my body ached. However, these kisses seemed to fill the void from not being able to have sex. They weren't the heat and passion of fornication, but they were a hint of intimacy that I've been craving.

"I'm so glad I found you," Naruto whispered, and the sound of his voice engulfed my ears, filling them with the words that they so desperately wanted to hear over and over again.

I laughed lightly, softly. "Thank Psychology and the gymnasium closet."

"I do," he said, stealing another kiss from my lips. "I thank it every day. I thank God that you didn't fall in love with Sasuke."

"Why would I fall in love with Sasuke?" I asked, curious as to why Naruto would think that I would fall for the man who has become one of my best friends. I can't even think of Sasuke as anything but my best friend. A brother, perhaps, but that was as far as it went. I could never even picture myself with him in the way that Sakura is, or in the way that I am with Naruto.

"You two spend a lot of time together, and you're so much alike, and-"

"That's the problem," I said, cutting him off mid-sentence. "We're too much alike. Sakura, on the other hand, is quite opposite of him. Opposites attract, remember?"

Naruto blinked, and he caught my gaze, looking a little confused. "I thought that was only in chemistry."

My tongue flicked across my bottom lip before I spoke. "It can remain pretty true in relationships, too." And to prove my point, I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. Naruto and I; we have chemistry. We're opposite - we attract. The forces that brought us together were not mere coincidences. They were our innermost molecules, calling for one another, secretly craving one another until our souls could not stand to be away from one another any longer. Our meeting was not random, and though it was caused by the planning and actions of peers, it was not caused by the work of human hands. I do believe that it would have happened eventually - our meeting - because our spirits could no longer withstand life without the other.

We are soul mates.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter Ten_

The dinner table grew loud rather quickly. The moment we had set up the kid's table in an open space and gotten food for our prides and joys, we adults sat down with the _nikujaga_ and feasted. Conversations flew everywhere and out of control, no rhyme or reason to why one topic would stem from another. Of course, Naruto had initiated the root of all the topics by egging Sakura and Sasuke on, asking them how their bedroom gymnastics had been. Everybody at the table had snickered and turned their attention to the lovely couple sitting across from Naruto and me. I was surprised that Sakura hadn't turned red with embarrassment - I would have died of it.

"Ha! I wish!" she said. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to _not_ be doing it constantly?" She was completely honest in regards to her and her husband's sexul appetite, and a part of me wondered how she felt so comfortable saying such things in front of everybody. "But it doesn't seem like you and Hinata ever stop," she made the remark, and simultaneously, I almost choked on a potato. It took all the strength in my mind and body to keep it from lodging in my trachea, while at the same time not allowing it to shoot out of my mouth.

"'Course we don't!" Naruto replied, switching his fork to his left hand and reaching under the table to hold my hand. It was his way of telling me that it was okay, that I shouldn't be embarrassed about anything said at this table tonight. "Ever hear the rumor that quiet girls are good in bed?" he asked them, and I immediately felt hot. Every part of my body sweated.

Sakura nodded and popped a slice of beef into her mouth. "Of course," she said, as if the statement were common knowledge.

"Well it's true! Believe it!" he said with a cackling laugh, and he threw his fist up into the air.

"Woah, Hinata!" Sakura sang and winked at me, despite the fact that I wanted to hide my face with a paper bag and go sit in the corner. I tried so hard to laugh off my discomfort, but I think everybody at the table could see my chagrin. Why was it that sex seemed to be the topic of the day?

"That's not the only thing she's good at," Sasuke commented, pointing his chopsticks in my direction. Phew, he was going to dig me out of this sinkhole of sex-talk. "She's been tearing it up on the viola at work. She makes that beautiful piece of wood make sounds that I never even knew it could make."

"Mmmm, so Hina's image probably brings in a lot of business," Kushina noted, and Sasuke nodded. I blushed, because I knew that it wasn't just me bringing people into _Mikoto's_; we all do a lot of work and play our hardest when we are together.

"That's not true," I spoke up, defending the work of the rest of my colleagues, my family at _Mikoto's_. "You guys do a lot more than I do. Suigetsu goes out and plays guitar on the streets, publicizing the business."

"While that is true," Itachi began, readjusting himself on the corner of the table in between Kushina and me, "you're the one that drags the people in. Think about it. You're the pretty face with kick-ass talent." My face burned brighter than the sun in reaction to his compliment. "Men come in there looking to see you for real, while women go in because they admire both your striking beauty and mad skills."

At this, Naruto spit venom. "Too bad none of them can have her," he said with an arrogant tone in his voice. "She's taken."

"Surprisingly enough," Sasuke spoke through his teeth as he nibbled on a piece of ginger, "for once in history, all the guys want to be Naruto." There was a little roar of a chuckle from around the table at Sasuke's remark. "But seriously, though. You're a very classy lady, Hinata."

"You're a very good influence on young girls today," Minato chimed in, raising his glass of tea, as if to toast with a nonexistent entity.

From then on, conversations were petty, and off and on, somebody would crack a joke and we would just bust up in gut-busting laughter. At some points, I think I may have been crying from laughing so hard. It had been a long while since we got our families together for dinner; having children did seem to make things a bit more difficult. The only thing that would have made our gathering better was the presence of Fugaku and Mikoto, and Neji and Tenten. Had they accompanied us, our whole family would have been able to share the wonderful meal that we ate that night. It was funny, because I considered all of them my family - Naruto and his parents, Sasuke, Sakura and Itachi and the Uchiha parents, Neji and Tenten. They were people that I loved with my whole heart and soul, and it feels as if I have known them forever. They were the big, warm, welcoming family that I never really had.

At home, my life had been normal. My house had been quiet. My parents were either at work or doing work around the house, so it was really pretty silent. That was the profile that had been recorded in my brain as a family.

However, upon coming into deep and strong relationships with these wonderful people, my brain didn't know what to do. It knew that this was family, but it wasn't the same thing as the information it had downloaded from my life thus far. It almost had to reprogram, readjust to the definition of family. Because this - this, right here encircling me at this wooden dinner table - is family. _My_ family.

"So, I have to ask," Minato began after we had all finished eating dinner. His attention was directed at Itachi, who was squirming around again, trying to avoid the pointed corner of the table. "How is it to be the third wheel all the time?"

Itachi shrugged and burrowed his hands in between his thighs and the folding chair beneath him. "It doesn't bother me too much. I mean, it would be nice to get a seat that's not on a corner for once," he smirked, and a light chuckle came from around the table.

"So find a girlfriend," Sakura said, "and then Minato will break out the extra table to link to this one."

"Oh yeah." Kushina dug her elbow into his side in a playful manner. "Any girls have your eye?"

Itachi grinned and rocked back and forth once. "A lot of the girls around here are the same. They all fling themselves at me looking for a good time." Then suddenly, his face became very serious, and the same atmosphere shrouded the rest of us around the table. "There's been only one girl who hasn't done that, the one girl who caught my attention."

Suddenly eager for the juicy gossip, I could feel Sakura leaning in closer, closer, her elbows propped on the table and her chin resting on her palms. The gleam stretching across her cheeks portrayed her interest in the subject. Kushina, too, was all for the chatter, her full and undivided attention on the man sitting between us. I, myself, found myself becoming more and more curious as every second ticked by.

"She's pretty, she's smart, and she's quite classy. We're really good friends, and she captured my interest within the first few times that we met. In retrospect, she would be perfect girlfriend material for me."

"_So_?" Sakura asked, completely enveloped in the topic of her brother-in-law's romance. My eyes unconsciously flickered to her, and it was only then that I had realized that Sakura and Sasuke had switched places. This must be a topic that wasn't very interesting to the guys.

_Hmm. Interesting._

"Who is she?"

"She's simply - and nothing more than - a friend."

The table was quiet for a moment, at least on our end. The other guys were conversing amongst themselves, rather uninterested in the talk of this perfect unnamed woman. I blinked and stared at Itachi for a moment, and he held my gaze. Something pounded in my eye, causing my lid to twitch rapidly for a few moments. Perplexed, my eyebrows furrowed and my eyes shifted once towards my dear pinkette, who nibbled on the inside of her lip as she tried to take in the confusion. Almost simultaneously, our eyes revolved around to Kushina's direction. Her jaw was unhinged and she gaped at Itachi with a look of dissatisfaction.

"The hell?!" she swore, and all eyes turned back to Itachi, who blinked under our spotlight. He turned his attention to Kushina, the only person who really reacted to his words. "You can't just describe your Cinderella to us and then just say she's only a friend! That's not how this works!"

"Have you even tried pursuing her?!" Sakura burst out, running her hands through her tired tresses. "I mean, don't throw in the towel before you even try!"

I think I should say some motivating words, since the other two did so. But what could I possibly say in this situation that they haven't already said?

"Do you feel intimidated by her?" I asked softly, relating to my words. "Like, are you afraid of rejection by the person you love?"

_I had that problem before too. I can tell you all about it._

"One: unfortunately, she's not _my_ Cinderella. Two: I can't pursue her. Three: no, we're very comfortable together." He took a deep breath and turned his attention to the ceiling, watching it tentatively, as if there was a Katsushika Hokusai painting sketched on the inner roof of the apartment building. I watched his eyes, his facial movements. Despite the fact that he seemed generally collected, I could tell that there was a little twinge of something else; a part of me thought it was sadness, while the other part recognized it as loneliness. I immediately empathized with him, and the part of me that saw loneliness wanted to reach out and touch him, to tell him that he wasn't alone. I'm here.

"Then why have you given up the fight before you've even started?" Sakura shifted her weight to the left as she folded her ankles under the table. Her emerald irises glistened with interrogation and wonder. Why was it that her highly attractive brother-in-law couldn't get the girl of his dreams? Just by watching her, it was evident that she wanted to know, and she wanted to know now.

Itachi rolled his head back down to face us, a half-hearted smile on his face as he glanced at me, then at Sakura, Kushina, then back at me. I blinked and could feel myself leaning closer, anticipation for his response becoming unbearable. The bubbles that built up inside of my stomach became weightless, and they began floating upwards through my body, lodging within my throat. In my esophagus, they morphed from bubbles to boulders, and I couldn't seem to swallow them back down. My hands were sweating, and I didn't know why. Why was I so nervous to hear his response?

"I can't have her," Itachi began, breaking the silence, "because she's already found the man of her dreams. And she's so happy. I could never, in my right mind, take that away from her." It seemed as if a giant weight had been lifted off of his chest the moment he admitted his true feelings.

"So...who is she?" Kushina pestered, and Itachi shook his head and snickered; our knowing was not in the foreseeable future. How sad. Disappointment rattled my bones up and down in a draining and heavy sensation. My eyes flickered to his hands as they moved in front of me, grabbing my bowl from the table and standing up.

"That's for me to know and for you to never find out," he said and turned away, taking both his dish and mine to the sink. The sound of running water washed through my ears, and the conversation was over.

OoO

I stretched out my spine on the bed, reaching my hands for the headboard and my feet to the foot of the bed. Laying in nothing but bed shorts and the bra I borrowed from Sakura, I finally had time to lay down. Naruto said that he would put the kids to bed, and so I should just kick back and relax. That was generous of him; he treated me so well, and I love it. I love him. I couldn't be happier living my life with Naruto.

The pressure in my breasts continued to grow stronger, and as if I wasn't overflowing out of this bra already, I was now. That was the only bad thing about borrowing undergarments from Sakura; she was a lot smaller in the breast department than I was. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, just when I had to borrow something that's generally form-fitting around that area.

I wanted to take off the bra so badly, but my arms were completely dead, sprawled out on either side of me, making a T on our sapphire comforter. The laziness that had accumulated within me just from the few minutes that I had been laying here seemed to be identical to the slothful motivation that belonged to Shikamaru.

"You look comfortable," Naruto chuckled as he dragged his feet into the room and slid the door shut, the baby monitor in his hand. Normally, I would have blushed, but I felt too idle even for that. Instead, my eyes followed him as if he were a magnet, and they watched him as he placed the monitor on the bedside table on his side before picking open the latch on the stone and leather bracelet that I had gotten him our first Christmas together.

"You got Megumi down already?" I asked, and he nodded once, placing the gift gingerly on the surface of the wooden table. "That's impossible."

"It's because I don't have the goods," he said with a laugh and swiftly ripped his T-shirt over his pretty blonde head, while at the same instant he wiggled out of his jeans. Both articles of clothing were abandoned on the floor.

"They're more of a curse than a blessing," I muttered and touched his hand as he laid it on the bed. For a moment, I watched him watching me. He leaned forward and pilfered a kiss from my lips, and an electric spark transferred from his body to mine and back to his. With that, we fell in love over and over and over again until our bodies were no longer in contact. Naruto was the one to recede.

"I ran a hot bath," he murmured, our breaths mingling together. "For us."

I shook my head ever so slightly, the tip of my nose brushing his as a second kiss was exchanged between our longing lips. I wanted him so badly, and I needed him even more. But I couldn't have him until my body healed.

"I can't," I whispered. "We can't have sex yet..."

"I don't mean sex," he said at full volume and evaded our lips' contact. He held out his hand to me, as if he were a prince awaiting his princess at the foot of the long and beautiful staircase and prepared to lead her away to her chariot. Only this prince was half-naked, awaiting his also half-naked princess and ready to lead her to their bathtub chariot.

I couldn't help myself. Just the romantic thought made my head spin, and with the drop of a hat, my laziness had dissipated into thin air. I sat up and forfeited my hand, prepared to allow him to drag me to the ends of the earth. I would follow him there and back. I would follow Naruto anywhere. The moment our hands touched, our fingers acted on their own and interlaced, squeezing the other tight and secure. I allowed Naruto to lead me out of our room and into the hall, where both of the other bedroom doors were closed. The bathroom door was on a jar, and Naruto opened it with the force of his body.

I had to blink once, because I thought we stepped through a portal and into a different dimension. This didn't look like our bathroom. Rose petals were dropped on the floor and around the edges of the tub. Bubbles overflowed the rims of the bathtub, and steam simmered up into the air. Candles that smelled like roses burned brightly on the sink illuminating the room. Aside from the flames flickering away in their respective glass containers, the room was dark, perfect to set the scene for romance.

If only our romance could be the full package.

"What's all this?" I asked, turning to face my husband, who slid down the straps to my bra. I reached behind my back and unhooked it with a single hand, allowing the material to fall to the floor and my breasts to be free from the constricting confinement.

"I wanted to do something nice for you, something relaxing," he hummed, kissing my neck from behind. Goosebumps shot up from every inch of my flesh, but I didn't dare push him away. I craved the intimacy. Pulling our entwined hands toward the steamy bubbles, he grinned at me in the way that I adored more than anything.

After seven years, I was no longer afraid to be naked around Naruto, which constantly made me breathe a sigh of relief. Although, I still had to take in a breath whenever I got the chance to glimpse at his leafless body. He was sculpted so beautifully, so perfectly. The angels would have been envious of Naruto's figure.

Stealing back my hand, I slid my thumbs in between the waistband of my shorts and my hips, and I slid them down my thighs, abandoning them on the floor. Naruto's eyes flashed as he looked my au naturel silhouette up and down. Despite the fact that I had just had a baby a few days ago, I could still see the desire in his eyes; he still thought my body was beautiful. It took him a moment to repeat my motions and remove his boxers, but he did, and my cheeks fired up at the very sight of him.

Naruto is the only man that I have ever seen naked, and so he was complete and utter perfection in my eyes. I had no prior knowledge to compare him to, not that I wanted to compare him to anybody else at all. He was his own league, and somehow I managed to win the heart of the beautiful man in front of me.

Once again, he held out his hand, offering it to me and asking to take mine. I accepted by returning my fingers to his. Carefully, he sidestepped into the bathtub and found his balance, cautious not to slip and fall. With one foot in and one foot out of the tub, Naruto gently pulled me forward, and I stepped over the ledge and into the mass of bubbles and steam and wonderful hot water. Naruto pulled his other foot into the tub, and we lowered ourselves into the warm and welcoming water. With his back against the wall and my back pressed to his chest, a sigh emerged from my lungs.

Flesh on flesh. It was a contact that I have longed for, but haven't gotten. There was something to be said about being unveiled with the person that you love, not for sex, but for intimate moments like this. I've craved Naruto for so long, and resting up against him in this manner, feeling all of his body against mine, it made me want him more and more until I could not physically have more of him. I could feel him against my back, but he wasn't hard; he was completely relaxed, like I was.

Leaning back against him, I rested my head on his right shoulder and tilted my head just enough for my forehead to touch his cheek. My eyes fluttered shut and I allowed my other senses to take over for me. Bittersweet rosebuds tickled my nostrils, engulfing my olfactory sense with the calm and comforting feeling of a garden. On my lips, I could still taste him; the musky and savory flavor of his entire day radiated across my taste buds. The light breaths that we took shrouded my eardrums, along with the quiet drumming of my heart inside of my chest. Relaxing swishing of the bathtub waves, minute popping of the bath bubbles. The hot water hugged every curve of my body, kissing my flesh with its warm embrace. Steam engulfed me, breathing me in. Naruto's hot flesh against mine, his arms constricting under my arms and his hands folding across my belly. His thumbs brushing along my navel.

Completely relaxed.

The strong muscles in his legs clasped my hips tighter as he clenched his muscles, holding me closer, closer. I wanted to be closer, but there was no physical way. But right now, in one another's arms, I was content. My hands drifted down to my stomach, and they overlapped my husband's, our wedding rings clinking together.

I never took mine off, no matter what it is that I was doing. They were a symbol that I belonged to Naruto, and I wanted everybody in the world to know that we are happily married.

I still remember our wedding day as if it was yesterday...


	11. Chapter 11: The Wedding

_Chapter Twelve_

_My stomach continued to do backflips, as it had been doing for the past week. At one point yesterday morning, I did get sick, which seemed to help with the overall nausea from the nerves and jitters that racked my body. Plus, I think I've been going through a sort of withdraw lately; I haven't seen my fiancé for a little over a week. After we had planned everything for the wedding - the date, time, location, color scheme, etcetera - Sakura took me under her wing, while Sasuke kidnapped Naruto from me. Their excuse had been, "there's some guy stuff Naruto has to do, and some girl stuff I had to do." While I wasn't very happy about being torn away from my dear lover, I let it go after a small argument with my maid of honor._

_ I hadn't seen him, hadn't heard his voice, hadn't made sweet, passionate love with him in eight days. In all honesty, I felt as if I was going to explode into a thousand tiny Hinata pieces and scatter everywhere._

_ But I only had a short while left until I could see his beautiful face. Today was the day, and the clock was ticking loud in my ears._

_ I hadn't gotten very much sleep last night, and it showed on my face. Dark circles were stained under my eyes, and my skin looked dead. Sitting in front of the vanity mirror in Sakura's house didn't do what little confidence I had any good. My fingertips brushed against my face, and I couldn't help but think about how unworthy I would look today, standing on the altar with Naruto. _

_ Unconsciously, I took in a deep breath and held it for all of five seconds before blowing it out of my lips, stretching my cheeks out as I did. I looked like I got hit by a train..._

_ Sakura marched into the room with a large pink box that was probably filled with hundreds of dollars of makeup. Due to her having to change later on in the day, she sported a T-shirt and athletic shorts, and her hair was tied back at the top of her head. Taking one look at me, she slapped her forehead and sighed._

_ "What happened to that beauty sleep you were going to get?" she asked me, and I shrugged, my eyes flickering to her reflection in the mirror. I was just wondering the same thing. It wasn't that I didn't sleep, rather, it was that my sleep wasn't very full. It was rather light, and I would wake up at every creak._

_ "I don't know," I murmured, ashamed that I had let my best friend down after she had been working so hard to make this day completely perfect for me._

_ "No matter," she said, turning back to her rose box and flipping open the clasps, which clicked as they popped up. With her fingers, she tossed up the lid, exposing rows and rows of assorted makeup products that I had never seen before. I didn't even know such colors existed. "You'll be surprised at what makeup can do."_

_ Out of a plastic container, Sakura pulled out two slices of cucumbers and danced over to me, reclining the chair that I had been sitting on backwards. My heart jumped, as I had not been expecting the sudden jolt of movement. But I laid back, and my eyebrows furrowed as Sakura placed the vegetable slices on the vanity counter and pulled something out of nowhere. She handed me a purple iPod nano, and grinned at my confusion._

_ "It's a wedding gift for you from Itachi," she said. "I loaded some of your favorite songs onto it already, so all you need to do is pop in the buds and jam out. Leave the rest to me."_

_ "Oh..." I licked my bottom lip, not really knowing what to say. Clearly, I hadn't been expecting anything like this, and it was so nice that he had thought about me. "That was nice of him," I murmured, plugging the tiny earphones into my ears and turning on the expensive little device. "I'll have to thank him later." Not really wanting to hold Sakura up, I simply clicked play, and the music began filling my ears. With a grin, Sakura leaned me backwards and covered my eyes with the cucumbers, sending me into a world of complete and total relaxation. _

_ My senses seemed to be intensified as my maid of honor ran her fingers through my hair, probably deciding what the easiest thing to do with it was. My locks had grown so long, it would probably take a little while to actually do something with it. Her touch left for a moment, only to be replaced by the strokes of the pins on a hairbrush. The nerves on my head tingled, causing goosebumps to arise on the surface of my skin, and I had to fight a small shiver that slithered its way up and down my spine. I'm not sure how long she had been working through my hair with the brush, but the song I had been listening to ended, and it automatically switched to another, which just so happened to be one of my favorite songs: Hidamari no Gate._

_ I thought of Naruto, and I couldn't help but be reminded of how much I missed him. We rarely spent time away from one another, because we were conjoined at the heart. I could spend everyday with him, and I would never grow sick of him. We had the chemistry. _

Only five and a half more hours, Hinata,_ I told myself, and I think I may have grinned at the thought. I get to see him, and we're going to get married, we'll have our first dance together as Mr. and Mrs. Uzumaki. _

_ Actually, I never thought of it, but why did Naruto take the last name of his mother? Why wasn't his last name Namikaze, the name of his father's family? For some reason, this fact never occurred to me until now, and I was curious. I wonder if they would tell me if I asked._

_ Sakura wrapped a thick strand of hair in something and began rolling it towards my scalp. Suddenly, I felt the warmth of heat close to my cells, and she stopped rotating whatever it was, instead holding it still. Because I had complete trust in Sakura, I didn't open my mouth to speak up. While a part of me wanted to talk to her, the other part wanted to continue on in this state of relaxation and keep quiet._

_ So many songs passed, and I think I may have fallen asleep for a bit while my trusted maid of honor fiddled with the lengthy locks that fell from my head. The only reason I had come back into consciousness had been because she raised the back of the seat up to a sitting position. Sakura had readjusted the cucumber slices as they had begun to fall, and over the music in my ears, I heard her say, "Don't look!" I guess I'm not allowed to see until her masterpiece is complete. No matter. I was enjoying Itachi's gift too much to be bothered._

_ By the time I was allowed to look, Sakura removed the cucumbers - which had absorbed the puffiness from my eyes and melted away the dark circles. My jaw unhinged and it fell. For a moment, I was stunned by the beauty of my hair, and I was almost convinced that it wasn't mine. _

_ My dark locks that were naturally straight and reached my lower back were now in these perfect curls. Some were pinned at the top of my head with bobby pins with shiny crystal flowers on their tips. My bangs were parted over my left eyebrow and scooped back, pinned down on the sides of my face, under the rest of my hair. Hanging down from the left side of my face was a single black curl that reached my breast. I could see where the veil was going to sit: right where my fringe met the rest of my hair._

_ Tugging the earbuds from my ears, I wanted to say something - anything - but I was in too much awe. There were literally no words to describe how thrilled I was with the results. My head belonged in a beauty museum. _

_ "I'm going to take that face as a compliment," Sakura laughed and turned away, tossing the cucumbers in the trashcan by her bed. _

_ "Isn't it going to fall down?" I asked, touching it and realizing that it was hardened._

_ "Not with a can and a half of hairspray on it," she mumbled as she nibbled on a pretzel while going through her box of beauty products. I turned around to face her, despite the fact that I could see her from within the mirror._

_ "What's next?" I asked, almost excited to have Sakura make me beautiful. If she could do this with my hair, I couldn't even begin to imagine what she could do with my face. _

_ "Probably your nails, so they have plenty of time to dry before we get you in your dress," Sakura spoke with her back to me as she rummaged through the box, finding the perfect color. "Of course, we're not doing anything big with makeup at all, but a nice light pink on your nails will accent your hands nicely."_

_ Pink. While it wasn't the color I had been thinking of, it would go with the wedding's color scheme. Naruto and I are having our wedding on the top of a hill surrounded by cherry blossoms that are in full bloom, so our colors for the wedding are pink and white. It will be beautiful._

_ Coming back over to me with a small kit, Sakura pulled up another chair and a small folding table, sitting it in front of her. Swiftly, she spun my chair around to face her, and to make her life easier, I placed my hands on the table. She went to work immediately, filing my nails in the shapes of perfect little rectangles. _

_ "Don't worry, you can put the headphones back in," she said to me, and I bit my lip. "It'll keep you busy, and I'll get less distracted by conversation."_

_ If it'll be easier for Sakura, then okay. I slipped the small headphones back into my ears, where they sat perfectly and filled my brain with the musical talent of others. While I listened to all of the music that Sakura had already loaded onto the device, I watched her work on my hands, swiftly and skillfully shaping them. Out of her little case that she had brought over, she yanked out a small bottle of lotion and squeezed some onto a single hand. Rubbing her hands together first, she took hold of my hands, massaging the nourishment into my skin. The way her fingers pressed into the muscles in my hand made me tremble a bit, her touch reaching deep into the core of my hands. It felt nice, and I almost didn't want her to stop, but I knew that our time was limited and she wanted enough time to do everything perfectly. Sakura would accept nothing less than perfection._

_ After massaging my hands, she wiped the lotion off of her own hands with a towel and picked up a bottle of light pink nail polish and began shaking it rapidly. Uncapping it, she began working on the first coat, painting my nails with quick precision. I was almost surprised at how nice it looked, despite the fact that it seemed as if she took no time at all. Sakura was very skilled. While the left hand dried, she moved onto the right, doing the same thing without missing a beat. _

_ After the second coat of polish, Sakura reached into a small jar and pinched something, then sprinkled it onto the wet polish. Sparkles glittered on the bases of my nails and shimmered when the light hit them. I was almost mesmerized by them that I didn't even notice Sakura toss the table to the side and move to my feet. The only reason why I did take notice to the transition was because her initial touch of my feet tickled, and I had to use every muscle in my legs to prevent kicking her. Although, after shaping the nails on my toes, the massage with the lotion felt heavenly. Her thumbs pressed into my arch, and it cracked loudly; both of us couldn't help but to laugh a little. _

_ Sakura did the same thing with my toes: two coats of pink polish. The sparkles, she only used to pepper the base of my big toes. When she finished, she shoved some kind of foam divider in between my toes to prevent them touching one another and smearing her artwork._

_ It was amazing at how quickly she packed her belongings up, and she disappeared inside of her bathroom to wash her hands. Next was my face._

_ Upon returning to the room, Sakura shoved her face into the pink box of wonder and yanked out a little circular glass jar and what looked like one of those super small paint brushes. Coming over to me, she placed both of the cosmetic pieces on her vanity counter and returned to her pink box, pulling out another glass bottle, this one with a very light rose color inside._

_ "You've got a pretty face already," she said, talking loud enough to where I could hear her over my music. "We don't want to cover it up with a bunch of makeup. We want to enhance your beauty by bringing out those pretty gray eyes of yours."_

_ I blushed at her compliment, and she snickered at me._

_ "Yeah, we don't want to cover up that little reaction of yours," she laughed and went to work, uncapping the smaller container, which exposed black gel. After dipping the small brush inside the tiny jar, Sakura began painting the black on my eyes, first on the tops, outlining the round shape of my eyes. The small bristles tickled my lid, and I was afraid that I may have twitched, but Sakura said nothing, so I don't think I messed her up. _

_ After the tops of my eyes came my waterline, and while she did so, I had to look up as far as I possibly could to prevent myself from blinking and jerking away. The fear of being poked in the eye was overwhelming, and it caused my heart to pound inside of my chest. But I trust Sakura. I focused on nothing but the sound of music in my ears, sending myself to my place of relaxation. _

_ I think Sakura could feel my tension, and so she moved as quickly as she possibly could without losing precision. Her strokes were steady, fluid motions that flew past my eye, leaving behind its blackest black line in its path. _

_ "Done with that," she said, and I breathed a sigh of relief, blinking a few times to restore the moisture to my eyes. Turning back to the box on her bed, Sakura thought for a moment before getting up and dragging her feet over to it. She glanced into the box and reached out, grabbing another bottle from it and a contraption that I recognized from prom. Mascara and an eyelash curler. "Close your eyes," she commanded me, and I obeyed without a second thought. Sakura pressed the device to my eye and clamped my long lashes within it, forcing them into a arch. She held it for ten seconds, then moved to the other eye. Mascara followed this procedure, and she painted my lashes with the stiff, round ring of bristles. This process wasn't bad, and it was over before I knew it. _

_ Sakura took a step backwards and looked me over, examining every detail of my face with an artistic eye. Her mouth pressed to the left side of her face as she contemplated._

_ "Something's missing," she said._

_ "What's in the pink tube, then?" I asked, and her eyes didn't leave mine. They didn't need to to know what I was referring to._

_ "That's a bit of gloss," she said. "But I'm talking about your eyes. Something is missing." With a light bulb glowing above her head, she snapped her fingers and returned to the box sitting alone and abandoned on the bed. She picked out a container that looked like the eyeliner, only it had a larger diameter. "You need a bit of smoke around the outside of your eye," she said, returning to me with swift steps shuffling on her hardwood floor. _

_ If I recall correctly, that was the term she used for the style of makeup that she did on my eyes for prom. That was a little showy, wasn't it? I mean, for prom that was okay, but for my wedding?_

_ "Don't worry, it won't be like prom," she said, reading my mind with such accuracy that it scared me. "Nothing close. It'll be a light dust of charcoal on your lid."_

_ "I trust you," I told her, and I sat up straight in the chair, closing my eyes and allowing Sakura to unleash her magic on me. I didn't even try to look in the mirror, because she always wanted me to wait until she was finished before I snuck a peak. I felt it difficult not to turn ninety degrees and glance in the mirror next to me._

_ The tickle of a brush caused my eyebrow to jump, and before I could even feel what she was doing, she had already moved to the other eye. _

_ "'Kay," she said, and tossed the eyeshadow aside. Her sights were set on the pink gloss on the surface of the table, and she took it into her grasp, unscrewing the cap and turning to me. "Now for the finishing touch." She pressed the soft tip of the gloss applicator to my lips and swept over them with a gentle touch. When she pulled away and began gathering the things she had thrown on the table, I raised an eyebrow._

_ "Can I look now?" I asked her, and she nodded, giving me her okay. Turning to the mirror was like turning to the face of an angel. Normally, I thought that I was neither pretty nor ugly. I was plain. But now, I looked stunning. The makeup wasn't heavy, so it gave a more natural look than prom. _

_ "You're gonna be the prettiest girl there, Hina," Sakura told me, and my eyes flickered to her reflection. She packed her belongings away, but left the box on her bed. "I would bet my life on that."_

_ With a slow turn, I watched her through my thick lashes, and she glanced at her cell phone. _

_ "What time is it?" I asked her, and she tossed her phone onto the bed and moved to her closet, where both her maid of honor dress and my wedding dress hung._

_ "About one o'clock," she told me, and my eyes widened, along with my glossy smile. I get to see Naruto in an hour and a half. It took all of my willpower to contain my bubbling happiness. I'll be seeing him on the altar. Or, at least, the closest thing to an altar that we could get in the path of the cherry blossoms. "Kushina, Neji and Tenten are going to be here in a half hour," she warned me as I turned off my iPod and ripped out my headphones with caution. "We should probably get you in your dress now so I have time to change."_

_ "Right," I said, standing up. Thinking about it now, I understand why Sakura wanted me to wear nothing but a bra and shorts; we wouldn't dare try to get a T-shirt off over my head. Not when my hair and face were this perfect. With my dress, I couldn't wear a bra, or else it would be seen through the corset back. _

_Sakura stood on her tiptoes, reaching for the hanger that hung on the door of her closet, and she tugged my dress off the wood carefully. With such care and caution, she laid it across her sheets and unzipped the bag, exposing the pure white material. _

_I slipped out of my shorts and tossed them into my dear friend's clothes basket in the corner of her room. There I stood, wearing nothing but my bra and underwear while Sakura gingerly removed my dress from its hanger. Instead of bringing it over, she left it lay on her bed and she bent over to grab a small plastic bag at the foot of her bed._

"_Put these on," she told me and tossed me the bag. With a frown, I tore the tops of the bag open and glanced inside, blushing at the contents. I shoved my hand in the bag and constricted my fingers around the lacy material, tugging it out and into the open. _

_Pure white, lacy thong..._

_When I turned terrified and embarrassed eyes to Sakura, she had an excuse ready in her mind._

"_Nobody's going to see it, besides your husband," she said. "For the honeymoon." With a wink, she turned back to my dress and used both hands to lift it up. While her back was turned, I rapidly switched underwear. From cotton boyshorts to lace thong... what a drastic change. What would Naruto say when he saw it? _

_Sakura carried my dress princess style over to me and placed the bottom down on the floor so that I could step into it without the risk of losing my balance and falling. Despite that, Sakura still held my hand as I lifted a single leg and pressed it down into the depths of the poofy dress, followed by the other one. Sakura dropped my hand and yanked up the top of my dress as I reached backwards and unhooked my bra with a single hand, tossing it over with my shorts in the basket. When my hands were free, I held the top of the dress tight against my breasts as Sakura came around to my back. Her fingers picked up the laces of the corset and she began heaving them shut, tightening the top of my dress. First, it constricted tight around my breasts, almost too tight, but she loosened it just a bit before continuing down my back. It was tight, but not tight enough to where I had trouble taking a deep breath. _

"_Don't look yet," Sakura scolded me as I went turn for the mirror. I should have known better. What was I thinking? From the other side of the room, Sakura grabbed the bust that held my jewelry and brought it over to me. Diamond necklace and matching earrings with pink centers that glistened in the light. A teardrop shape dropped from both the necklace and earrings, and the way it hit the extra light from the vanity caused me to suck in a breath. They were even more beautiful than I remembered them being. _

_Sakura gracefully draped the necklace over my clavicles and came around my back so that she could latch the clasp at the base of my neck. She was so careful not to catch any of my hair. I was grateful for that. As if I were a child who couldn't do anything, she snatched the earrings and stuck them through the tiny holes on my lobes. _

"_A princess shouldn't lift a finger," she told me, a smile playing upon her lips. Turning to where my back was facing the mirror, Sakura looked me up and down and bent over to take the foam from between my toes. "You need a bracelet."_

"_I don't have one," I admitted. I had some, just not for this occasion._

"_You can borrow one of mine. I think I may have one that matches that set," she said and turned away, moving back to her closet and disappeared inside, making her way to her jewelry box. She reappeared within five seconds, a sparkling bracelet in her fingertips. "Sasuke will recognize this," she laughed. "He's always throwing jewelry at me." Wrapping it around my wrist and clasping it, I watched as the single pink diamond shone out over the rest of the whites._

_ Sakura spun around again and returned to her closet, bringing out the box that held my shoes. She tossed the lid onto her bed and pulled the gorgeous foot candy out of the box, which suffered the same fate as its head. The main body of the shoe was white lace with a lacy flower above the open toe. A strap would wrap over the front of my ankle to keep the shoe in place._

_ Very, very carefully, I sat down on my seat and lifted my foot for Sakura to play Cinderella and Prince Charming with me. She strapped them onto my feet and stood up, holding a hand out to me so that she could help me stand. _

_ "Now, you may look."_

_ Excited, I turned to the mirror and gasped. The dress looked even prettier now that it had a pretty face, curly hair, and accessories with it. With a traditional poofy bottom that swept the floor and created a bell-bottom base that dragged as I walked, it was perfect for the occasion of a cherry blossom wedding. The top was adorned with beaded lace that wrapped all the way around, quitting its escapade at the corset. _

_ I glanced over when I saw something appear out of the corner of my eye, and in the doorway stood Neji, who looked rather spiffy in his tuxedo. With his hair down, he looked like the model, Fabio. His eyes scanned every detail of me, from my hair to my face to the jewelry that adorned me to the dress. When he didn't say anything, I became worried and pessimistic. _

_ "So?" I asked nervously. "What do you think?"_

_ Neji licked his lips as they parted and took in a breath to speak. Turning his eyes to mine, they locked, and we had one another's complete and total attention._

_ "There are no words for how beautiful you are."_


	12. Chapter 12: The Wedding, Part II

_Chapter Twelve_

_ I sat in the back of Sakura's SUV, staring out the window at the classy and majestic setup of the wedding. I couldn't see the altar, and so I couldn't see Naruto anywhere. Minato, Itachi and Sasuke were escorting guests through the aisle in between rows and rows of cherry blossoms to their seats. Searching the faces, I happened to catch sight of Shikamaru and Temari, who hadn't changed at all. Shikamaru looked blasé as ever, and Temari carried herself with utmost confidence. How could she not? The dress that she was wearing was beautiful. A short peach cocktail dress with large pleats under the breast; the right side of the pleat was pulled up, creating an accent on the top. She was as pretty as I remembered her being. _

_Behind them, Choji and Ino caught up with them, and, like always, I was bewildered at how stunning Ino looked. Her royal blue dress stretched down just below her bottom, short enough to where she shouldn't bend over too far, but long enough to not look trashy. It wrapped around her torso, having only a single silver sleeve that covered her right arm. And those silver pumps just made the outfit. _

_While Sasuke and Minato escorted the two couples, Itachi had stayed behind to greet more guests as they came by. Kushina called his name, and he glanced in her direction, a welcoming smile on his face as she walked into his embrace. Fugaku and Mikoto were right behind her, arms linked formally. Fugaku definitely cleaned up nicely._

_Kushina's radiant red locks flowed down to her knees and fluttered as the breeze passed her by. Her sapphire dress was simple wrap at the top with tiny halter strings. The bottom hung straight down, just barely touching her knees. Her classic black heels were strapped to her feet by a T, which traced the length of her foot and wrapped around her ankle._

_Mikoto's classic black dress hugged her curves, which I never knew she had. The sleeves were long and swooped out as they neared her hands. Her dark hair was pulled up into a large bun on the top of her head, which was embroidered by a braid that outlined the ball. Two hairpins sat next to one another, popping out of the braid's bottom. Black Mary Janes decorated her feet, automatically making her five inches taller; a tiny bit taller than her husband._

_The entourage stopped to talk to the best man's brother, but I couldn't hear a word they were saying. I had my headphones in while I waited until it was time for me to walk down that aisle of cherry blossom petals. My nerves were acting up again, and I was so afraid that I was going to be sick. It was as if my stomach was practicing for a local circus, working on its acrobatics._

_I was terrified. This was the moment I had been waiting for, for practically my whole life. Upon meeting Naruto and falling madly in love with him, I thought originally that this day would always be nothing more than a fantasy. Now, this fantasy was becoming reality, and it was scaring me. I didn't know how to react._

_My arm wrapped around the front of my waist and I held my hip, attempting to hold myself together. A hand touched mine and warm fingers entwined with my small and fragile phalanges. I turned my head to face my cousin, who promised he wouldn't leave my side until he handed me off to Naruto. _

_Because of the accident those few years ago and the loss of my father, I had nobody to walk me down the aisle, and this made me so sad for awhile. Nothing cheered me up, and I didn't want to leave the apartment. Naruto had been concerned, and he expressed his solicitude with Neji. Neji had then come to talk to me, and just the conversation about my late parents made me tear up and the result being my difficulty in speaking of the subject. It was then that he offered to take my father's place in this matter._

"I know I'm not your father,"_ he had said to me, _"but I can walk you down the aisle on your wedding day."

_It was such a sweet offer, and so I had to force myself to be happy. What he said had been true: he wasn't my father, and he could never take the place of my father. However, he was the brother I never had, and the fact that he had thought about a way to solve my problem meant so much to me._

"_You nervous?" he asked me, and my tongue flicked my bottom lip. I squeezed his hand so tightly in desperate attempt for comfort, but it didn't seem to be helping. Neji brought his other hand around his body and touched the knuckle of his index finger to my chin. "You'll be fine. This is what you've always wanted, remember?"_

"_I know." I nodded and gazed up at my cousin through my lashes. "I'm just so terrified. What if I get sick, or if I trip, or faint, or-"_

"_You won't," he said with confidence. "We're going to walk up to that altar - you and I - and you're going to marry the man of your dreams."_

_In a voice that was quiet even for me, I just had to force the words out of my mouth that have been bothering me for some time now. Parting my glossed lips to speak, I forced myself to speak the words._

"_Do you think Mom and Dad are proud of me?" I asked, and Neji's eyebrows furrowed with both sympathy and empathy. He knew what losing parents was like, but I wonder if he had ever questioned if they were proud to call him their son. I, on the other hand, have been wondering if my parents could see everything I've been doing, and if they would accept and respect my decisions. _

_Neji moved closer to me and snaked both arms around my body, holding me tightly as we had a moment of anguish together, grieving the loss of our families. We were all the other had, as far as bloodline goes. He was the only blood-related family I had, and I cherished him with everything I had. If he had died that day...I don't know what I would have done. I would have been inconsolable. Since he had regained consciousness in that hospital bed, we had grown closer and closer._

"_They are," he gave his answer. "They're so proud of you that it's overwhelming. They admire what a beautiful person you've become, and they wish that they could be here to see you fulfill your dream."_

_I rested my chin on his shoulder and embraced him in a warm and tender hug. I wanted this moment to last longer, because it was beginning to make me feel better. The only reason why I let go was because the door behind me opened, and when I spun around in surprise, I saw Sakura and Itachi. _

_Ripping out my headphones, I handed my gift to Sakura, who held her hand out to take it from me. Itachi grinned when he took notice to the fact that I had been using it. He held out his hand to me as Sakura locked the gift in the glovebox, and I took it, allowing him to help me out of the vehicle. Shaking his head, he looked me up and down before meeting my gaze._

"_Wow, Hinata," he breathed. "You look absolutely stunning."_

_I blushed at his comment and exchanged a quick and tight hug with Sasuke's brother, who I had become extremely close with. He was also like a brother to me, along with Sasuke. With Neji, Sakura, Sasuke, and Itachi, I felt as though I was not alone, and that I had siblings to share my feelings with. Mom and Dad may have left me, but they left me in the tender hands of people who love me just the same._

_I let go of Itachi and turned my eyes to Sakura, who slammed the passenger door shut and waited for Neji to come around to the other side of the vehicle. _

_Sakura's pale pink dress hugged every curve from her waist up to her breasts, then flowed down to the ground in a straight freefall. We both had picked out the dress to match the cherry blossoms, and seeing it with the awe-inspiring scene behind her made me want to give us a pat on the back._

_Sakura breathed in a sigh and stretched her arms above her head, getting in one last unattractive moment before having to stay formal and classy for the rest of the afternoon._

"_Ready?" she asked me as Minato and Kushina came up behind her. Itachi turned around and gave them a warm smile as they joined the group of wedding party. _

_I shook my head, the jitters returning to me. "I don't know," I murmured, squeezing my eyes shut and taking deep breaths. _

_Kushina took a step towards me and grabbed both of my hands, holding them in hers firmly and tenderly. Gazing into my eyes with love and confidence, she flashed a smile at me that I could not help but return._

"_You're going to be my daughter soon," she said with excitement lining every syllable of her voice before bringing me in for a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you fell in love with my son."_

My falling in love with Naruto wasn't the problem,_ I thought. _Naruto falling in love with me was the issue.

_ "Okay, Kushina." Minato touched the shoulder of my almost-mother in-law, and she pulled away from me reluctantly. "Don't mess up Sakura's masterpiece."_

_ "I'd be pissed," Sakura grunted as she handed me my bouquet of roses, ten white roses and two pink. _

_ Itachi turned away from us and waved his hand. "I'll see you guys," he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and making his way down the petal-covered lane. While he made his way towards the unseen altar, Sasuke was coming back, and the two brothers switched places. Both with hands in the pockets of their coal-black pants. _

_ My best friend and I exchanged grins, and he nodded with approval as he took in my sight._

_ "Very, very nice, Hinata," he complimented, and I nodded at him._

_ "You're not too bad yourself." I laughed shakily. _

_ "Got Hina's ring?" Sakura asked her lover, who pulled the gold band out of his pocket and showed it to her. _

_ "You have Naruto's?" he counter-interrogated her, and she held up her hand, showing it wrapped around her thumb. "Then let's get this show on the road. The order is the parents of the groom, followed by the best man, then the maid of honor, and lastly, the bride and her escort."_

_ Nonchalantly, we all moved into the order that Sasuke had just spouted out to us, Minato and Kushina in the front, arms linked as if he were escorting her. Sasuke stood behind them, placing the ring that would soon bind me to Naruto back into his pocket. Sakura stood in between him and Neji and me. Neji bent his arm, allowing me to grab onto it firmly, and he folded his left arm behind his back. _

_ From in front of us, I saw Sakura reach forward and pinch Sasuke's glutes, and I couldn't help but to grin and stifle a laugh. She had to get all of her urges out somehow, and as long as she did it before, it didn't bother me._

_ Upon Sasuke's signal, Minato and Kushina began their trek through the path of cherry blossom petals, making their way up the lane and to the crowd that blocked the altar. The two of them were so cute together, and seeing them made me pray that my relationship with Naruto will stay as strong as it is now. Once they reached the actual start of the aisle, Sasuke followed their movements, walking smoothly on the uneven terrain. After him, Sakura folded her hands in front of her and began pacing herself towards the wedding. _

_ My heart thudded loudly within my chest, and I ended up shutting my eyes again, pressing my eyelids shut with enough force to make them hurt. I felt Neji begin to lead me down the path, and I wanted to shake my head and run away. I was so scared. If it were just Naruto up there on that altar, I think I would have been fine. But to have all of those eyes watching my every movement...it was too much. _

_ "I promise you," Neji murmured to me as we rounded the corner, "you'll be okay."_

_ When we stopped walking, I turned my eyes from the ground to all of the people watching, to the altar. At the moment that my eyes met Naruto's, it was like all of the people around me just disappeared, and it was just us. He was so gorgeous, and he was going to be my husband within a few minutes. The wedding vows that I would be telling him...despite my fear and nervousness, there was no way I could ever forget them. They were written not from my hand and will not be spoken from my mouth, but will come directly from my heart and soul._

_ Suddenly, the music changed, the stringed quartet beginning what I thought was going to be the traditional classical piece that accompanies the bride. It caught me off guard when I heard my favorite song coming from the richness of their strings. I glanced over at the quartet, then back at Naruto, who smiled at me. He changed the song for me..._

_ A warm and honest beam spread across my cheeks as I was blinded by the tears that inevitably fell from my eyes. _

_ The petals at my feet attempted to cling to my dress, with no avail, and ended up allowing themselves to be dragged along the path. Neji held onto my arm firmly, knowing that I was paying attention to nothing but my groom up on that altar under a patch of cherry blossoms. _

Naruto,_ I called out to him with my heart, knowing that he would hear me, _I love you.

_ In all honesty, I wanted to drop Neji's arm along with the bouquet of flowers in my grasp, and I wanted nothing more than to run down the rest of the aisle and into Naruto's arms. I wanted to kiss his lips and try to tell him how much I love him, and that I want to be with him for the rest of my life. _

_ Neji and I made it to the altar, and Naruto forced his eyes from mine to look at my cousin. The two men nodded at one another, and I heard Naruto murmur something, but I couldn't quite make it out. Neji seemed to comprehend, and he gave a rare and honest smile to my soon-to-be husband. _

_ Neji took my left hand in both of his, and he handed me off to Naruto, who led me up to the altar, where we stood side by side. The minister that stood before us signalled for everybody to be seated, except for Naruto and me. _

_ "Good afternoon," he greeted our wedding guests, who gave a jumbled response. "We are gathered here today to witness the unity of Hinata Hyuga and Naruto Uzumaki in the sacrament of holy matrimony. This beautiful March afternoon, we will hear the bride and groom answer the questions of intent, and they will recite their vows before you."_

_ My eyes rolled over to the side to steal a peek at Naruto, who was doing the exact same thing. We wanted this to happen, and we while we wanted it to be perfect, we also wished for it to end so that we could be together. After eight days of not seeing one another, we were both deprived. _

_ "Would the bride and groom turn to face one another." The minister demanded of us, and he didn't have to tell us twice. I could see Naruto's face in it's full glory, and he seemed to be more beautiful than I remembered him to be, if that was even possible. Our lips stretched out into soft smiles as we stood there on that altar of cherry blossoms, hands locked together, wearing our conjoined heart on the sleeve of our love. _

_I was lost in his ocean eyes with no hope of ever being found, not that I would want to be. I could stay there forever, trapped in the middle of his oceans until the sun fell from the sky. And in the middle of being completely and utterly adrift, my bliss would shoot sky high. _

_Sasuke and Sakura stepped closer to us, and they each handed us the ring that we would be putting on the other's finger. I exchanged my flowers for Naruto's ring, and I smiled at Sakura, who took my bouquet and stepped backwards._

"_Naruto, you come before this gathering of friends and family to proclaim your love and devotion for Hinata. Do you promise to love her, respect her, and care for her during times of joy and hardship? Do you commit yourself to share your feelings of happiness and sadness? And forsaking all others, do you pledge to remain faithful to her?"_

_Without breaking our connection, not so much as tearing his eyes from mine, he answered, "I do."_

_Naruto slipped the golden band on my left ring finger, where it sat with the engagement ring that he had spent a small fortune on. It was perfect._

"_Hinata, you come before this gathering of friends and family to proclaim your love devotion for Naruto. Do you promise to love him, respect him, and care for him during times of joy and hardship? Do you commit yourself to share your feelings of happiness and sadness? And forsaking all others, do you pledge to remain faithful to him?"_

_My eyes scanned Naruto's, and he could see my answer long before I could even think about speaking the words. With ease, my lips parted, and I answered the questions that the minister had asked me. Giving the reply that I have been waiting to say my entire life, I said, "I do."_

_I slid Naruto's ring onto his left ring finger, where it fit sublimely. We were now bound together by these golden bands, which proved that we belonged to one another._

"_Would the bride and groom, please exchange your vows," the minister directed us, and Naruto and I gazed past the external, through the eyes and into one another's soul. These vows were just a bunch of words. But right now, they were coming from the heart, and I was going to pour out my love and tender affection for him for all of the world to see. _

"_Naruto," I started._

"_Hinata," Naruto began._

_In perfect harmony, we began to tell one another our vows: "I promise to love you for the rest of my life. Through times of great happiness, and in moments of great despair, I am here. Because together, the world can never knock us down. I will never stray away from you, because you are the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I will always be trustworthy and faithful, and I will try my hardest to be worthy of your love. Most importantly, I will be your loyal friend."_

"_I love you," I finished, confessing my undying love for Naruto._

"_I love you," he ended._

"_These two persons shall forever be bound together. If any man can show just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him speak now or forever hold his peace." There was silence, because everybody sitting out there knew that Naruto and I were soul mates. We were meant to be together. "By the power vested in me..."_

_I bit my lip and my heart pounded so hard in my chest, I almost swore it would have broken through any second. Naruto squeezed my hands anxiously, grinning and flashing his pearly whites at me._

"_...I now pronounce you man and wife."_

_This is it. _

"_You may kiss the bride."_

_Naruto took me into his arms and our embrace was so tender as he stole a long-awaited kiss from my lips. He captivated me, and the applause from the audience seemed to fade into the background. My head was spinning as the thoughts put themselves together. _

"_Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Mr. and Mrs. Naruto Uzumaki."_


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter Thirteen_

My life seemed to be moving faster than the speed of light; three hundred million meters per second didn't even seem to express how quickly the days passed. The summer ended within the blink of an eye, and I was sending Usui back to school for the second term. He was excited to start the second portion of third grade, and I was sad to see him leave the nest again. Although, I knew that he would be back by the afternoon. For a while, the apartment was filled with family interaction, and Tadashi was able to hold Megumi for the very first time. The picture that Naruto took featured a very happy three year old and his baby sister. Usui was in the top of his class, which made Naruto and me the proud parents of Konoha Elementary's number one third grader. The teachers didn't know whether to be surprised at this fact or not; on one hand, Usui was the son of yours truly, who had been number four all throughout school. On the other hand, he was also just as much a part of Naruto, who was dead last in our graduating class.

Tadashi couldn't wait to being school like his big brother, but he still had another year to go until he could begin elementary schooling. Until then, he would stay home with Naruto and Megumi and continue to grow.

Once October came around, I left my family at home and returned to my surrogate family at _Mikoto's_, who welcomed me with open arms. While I had seen Sasuke so many times throughout my maternity leave, I was still happy to see him again. I could honestly say that he is my best friend. I had been in close contact with Yahiko and Konan in order to seal the legal deal on godparenthood, but the two of them still hugged me as if they hadn't seen me in years. Suigetsu and Nagato were the only two that I hadn't seen since visiting _Mikoto's_ in August, and they were exactly how they had been before; Suigetsu was still a smart-alec and Nagato was the mature moderator.

While I was so happy to come back to my family at _Mikoto's_, I was also heartbroken to leave my family. I was so emotionally attached to my family back at home. They are my everything.

At work, though, I was so happy. Playing music and interacting with these dear people within my life was the fuel to my unquenchable fire. The moment I initially picked up my precious viola after so long, my fingers screeched, rusty from the time off. It took only a few days for my fingers to fly across the neck of my beautiful instrument, and I was ripping across chords and scales like it was nobody's business.

Sasuke and I were so in sync with one another; a week or so into November, we broke out into a freestyle competition. It started out with him just rocking out on his prized Chushin Gakki, and for some reason - the reason, I am not quite sure of - I chimed in with my black and blue electric viola. I countered his rhythm, one-upping him in skill. Sass covered my face, and he lifted an eyebrow before bringing himself to an upright position. His guitar screamed back at me, his fingers flaring around the neck and his wrist adding a vibrato that enhanced the richness of his wailing harmony. He and I both knew that I could come at him with something far greater than that, and needless to say, I did. With the adrenaline of a competition coursing through my veins, my fingers flew across the strings, and the hairs of my bow bounced - completely controlled - across skipped strings, playing from third position on A to half position on C. Not a single note was blurred within my racing melody, and Sasuke was able to match it with a harmony just as flawless. Together, we created a beautiful strip of music that sang inside our eardrums long after we finished.

I love Sasuke. In all honesty, I really do. He is the person that I relate to the most, and because we could relate so well, we could practically tell what the other was thinking and feeling. There was something to say in a friend like that, and yet there were no words to describe it. He was the brother I never had.

It was as it had been before; after work at six, Naruto would walk down with the boys - and now with Megumi - and pick me up, and the five of us would walk home as a family. The mile between _Mikoto's_ and our little apartment was filled with bonding, which made me love my children more - if that was even possible - and it made my mind, body, and spirit yearn for Naruto.

I wanted him, and I felt that I may truly and actually need him to survive. Is that what a true craving really was? The sexual desire in me could not be fulfilled by anybody besides the man who wore the twin of my golden band on his left ring finger. I needed him, I covet him, I felt that I would die if I didn't have him.

In mid-November, I could no longer stand my sexual tension. Tenten wanted to babysit our children for us so that we could have some alone time, and despite the fact that we had initially declined her offer, we were so thankful that she continued to push us. Neji and Tenten took our children off of our hands, and the moment they left, Naruto and I had immediately locked all of the doors and swung the blinds shut, prepared for a long night of rapture, pleasure, and passion.

Through the course of the evening and night, I don't know how many times we engaged in over-satisfying and completely heart-pounding sex; I lost count at six. Each time was more passionate than the last, and, quite frankly, in different areas of the house. Bed, floor, couch, table, shower. I had never felt the urge to explode so much in my entire life. And, if I was being completely honest, I would confess that I did explode - figuratively and literally - throughout the course of our escapades.

I almost had to laugh, because the class that everybody was so sure that I had completely dissipated once Naruto was within my grasp. The first time, while my cravings were still months unsatisfied, I held him so tightly between my legs that we had gotten friction burns - his on his hips and mine in between my thighs. That didn't stop us. The entire night, we were completely inseparable. Not once did we escape the other's presence. The answer behind it was simple: nothing was more important. We were like cats in heat. Unstoppable.

I don't know how he made me reach my climax every single time, because I know that most women do not during sex. Whatever he was doing to make me come, I prayed that he would never stop doing it.

After every single round of the ecstasy, we would lie awake with our chests to the ceiling, gasping for the beautiful diatomic element of oxygen. By the time we had replenished the oxygen within our bodies and were finally able to speak, we would chuckle at one another and try our hands at explaining how much we love each other. It was almost too impossible to attempt, but we did anyway, and neither one of us succeeded.

And together, we would fall asleep in each other's arms and dream away, until our thirsts grew more and more unquenched. At times, it was Naruto who initiated the rounds by nuzzling his face into the side of my neck, where he planted his lips passionately and nibbled at my throat. All the while, a single hand would cup one of my breasts, while the other slithered down my torso and in between my legs. The other times, I grew bold enough to commence the activities by kissing his jaw line and biting at his ear, while my hands brushed up and down his chest to his hips, just shy of his pelvis. Teasing him was cruel, but it got him off...and onto me.

By the time I had waken up in the morning, my body was stiff and my flesh was filled with blemishes from friction burns and hickies. And yet I had never felt better. Except for the fact that I was starving, and I couldn't help but wonder how many calories Naruto and I had burnt off throughout the course of the night.

The only problem was the fact that I didn't want to move. I didn't want to disturb the most comfortable position of my life. Despite the fact that we had crashed in the shower, covered only by bath sheets, I was completely content wrapped under the arm of my husband. My hair was still damp from the shower a few hours earlier, and it stuck to my body and Naruto's alike.

I had to mentally prepare myself to get up eventually, because I could hear Naruto's stomach growling, and he would want to get food soon. And before Tenten brought back our children, we were going to need to wipe down the house and make it child-friendly again.

Tenten blessed us with time to go wild more than we expected. She must have known that Naruto and I had literally no time to become intimate with one another, especially since Megumi joined our family. She seemed to know that our sexuality flared up, and without someone to take our children for a night, the flame would continue to burn until neither one of us could physically stand it anymore.

The afternoon we had finished cleaning the house, Tenten brought back our three bundles of joy, and Naruto and I invited them in for lunch. While Naruto had been busy disinfecting all of the surfaces on which we had made sweet and passionate love, I was in the kitchen making onigiri. It seemed as though a night of raging sex, followed by cleaning and cooking, followed by lunch with my cousin and his girlfriend became the norm.

November, then, continued onwards with the end coming closer and closer every moment. Thanksgiving came, and it was beautiful. My family, Naruto's parents, and Sakura's parents gathered into the Uchiha condo for an extensive feast. All of us women were in the kitchen working on different sections of our meal. Sakura and I were paired together and working on making the pumpkin mochi dango. The men were tasked with setting the table and keeping the children out of trouble. At that, Kushina had laughed, saying that it was more likely that the children would keep the men out of trouble. None of us could really deny her point.

While we slaved away all day in the kitchen, Mikoto had turned on the radio, which kept everything lively. There were points in our cooking affairs when some of the guys had to be shooed away, or get a swift smack to their wrists.

In all, the holiday was wonderful, and I was able to spend it with the people in my life who I loved more than life itself.

If only it could have stayed that way…

A week after Thanksgiving, my family at _Mikoto's_ were rocking out on every piece we could think of, and Konan had begun recording it, so we could really hear the finished product, and hear what the customers were experiencing upon walking through the front door. If I had to say so myself, I would say that we were on fire that day; every single note, every single beat was so clear that it practically sang out on its own. Sasuke's voice was crisp, and he let nothing get in the way of the supremacy.

When we had finished that day and returned to Konan at the front desk, there was a man in a suit there, talking to our violet-haired sister in a business-sort of way. I remember glancing back at Yahiko, who was becoming jealous of the other man speaking to his woman. But he didn't say anything; rather, he kept his mouth closed and bit down on his tongue.

Upon the five of us approaching the front desk, both Konan and the man in the suit had turned to greet us, the unnamed man's eyes turning directly towards me. I couldn't help my bodily reaction of my face burning red. The sudden attention from a man that I didn't know freaked me out, to be completely honest.

He gave me a warm smile and took my hands into his, shaking them both politely. Forcing a grin on my face, I attempted to exchange the welcoming gestures. I think he could sense my confusion and discomfort, because he pulled back and gave me some space.

"_I'm so sorry to intrude,"_ he had said, and I glanced at Konan, who had an almost sorry smile painted across her face. It was as if she wanted to be happy about something, but that same thing caused her sadness. Turning my eyes back to the man in the suit, I searched for an explanation to my dear friend's mixed emotions. _"But, Mrs. Uzumaki, I have come in search for you."_

_For me?_ I thought and blinked twice, attempting to comprehend his madness. He definitely used the title of "Mrs.", which meant that he was well aware of my marital status. Which also meant that he was less likely to try and win my heart. Or at least I hoped.

"_Word on the street said that you were a pretty good violist. At first, I didn't think anything of it, but when I heard your name again and again, I had to wonder just how good you were. So I came here and listened to you play, and I must say: the street didn't lie."_

I couldn't help but wonder where he was going with this, but he seemed to just continue rambling about the same thing.

_"My point is,"_ he finally got to the thesis of his speech, _"I want you to be the first-chair violist in the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra."_

My jaw dropped in disbelief. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to say; I didn't even know to what effect I wanted my words to sound. Was I happy? I don't entirely know the answer to that question. As if searching for an answer, I turned my attention to Sasuke, who looked as though he didn't know what to think.

My initial thoughts: 'wow, this is such a great opportunity' and 'I don't want to leave my family...'

So what do I do?

When there was hesitation, the man who offered me the position bigger than my dreams whipped out a business card and handed it to me.

_"You don't need to answer me right this very minute,"_ he said with a chuckle. _"Think it over and give me a call."_

As he was leaving, Naruto was walking in with our three children, and he watched as the sextet of _Mikoto's_ began to chatter amongst ourselves. The answers were all the same: this is a great opportunity, and that I should take it. Their mouths may have uttered those words, but their eyes screamed out, denying their veracity. None of them wanted me to leave, and I didn't want to leave either.

That night, I had talked it over with Naruto, and explained my feelings from both halves, and he stretched his arms across our little table to grab my hands. With a reassuring grin and a flicker of his ocean eyes, he gave me the words that I needed, but not the answer.

_"Your happiness is mine. No matter what you choose to do, I'll be by your side all the way through."_

In all honesty, I felt as though my life was blessed enough. I had a job that I loved with people that I cherished to the ends of the earth; I couldn't ask for a better job. And Sasuke...I would miss him way too much. And I haven't even taken account for the travelling that we would have to do in order to play. I didn't want to continue to move my children time and time again. We were comfortable inside our little apartment in Konoha. I didn't want to give away the life that I loved.

I declined the man in the suit the day before December.

OoO

Sasuke's voice stretched into his falsetto as he went to hit the high notes, and while they weren't perfect, he did a fantastic job of crescendo and decrescendo to accent the song. None of us missed a beat, continuing onwards with the beautiful music that projected from our instruments.

I leaned in towards the microphone that hung from the ceiling, preparing my vocal cords for my harmonizing notes. Taking a deep breath, I awaited the musical cue. My tongue used the mind of its own and flicked my lips as I opened my mouth and let out soft and wordless notes. I was the siren in the background, the voice that made the piece send shivers down spines.

My range had definitely increased from high school, and I could reach notes I never even dreamed of hitting. High B's, low C's. Although very rarely did I need to go above a high E.

All the while, Sasuke continued to spit the words gently into the open air, where they could tear apart the hearts of those who could relate. Yahiko tapped the bass drum oh so lightly to the steady pulse of the song that somebody wrote and slipped into the mail for us.

That seemed to happen pretty often: people who enjoyed writing music would send us their masterpieces, in hopes that they would walk in and hear us playing it. I felt as though that was something that really connected _Mikoto's_ to the public, and it gave me warm chills and goosebumps just thinking about it.

My heart beat had gradually slowed in time to Yahiko's beat, and I had a feeling that the guys had the same sensation. We were all really and truly - mind, body, and soul - into the music, and so when Itachi barged into the room, we all simultaneously jumped. The tranquil and dark piece that had been ringing through _Mikoto's_ stopped dead in its tracks, and the room was silent.

"Hinata!" Itachi slumped down to put his hands on his knees, gasping for breath and extending his arm out to me, handing me my cell phone. "You left your...phone at Sasuke's...house, and-"

"Itachi," I coaxed out to him as I placed my viola on the stool by the wall. Disregarding my phone, I put both hands on his shoulders. "Breathe."

Rapidly, he shook his head and forced air into his lungs before attempting to speak again. His eyes were terrified and sad, and I didn't know why. I could feel his pulse pounding rapidly throughout his body, and mine matched his from the scare he gave me.

"Hinata," he took both of my hands and held them so tightly, holding them against his chest as he sighed. "Naruto's been in an accident..."

_A note from the author:_

_Sumimasen, guys. I did not die, I promise! I started college, and so I've been so busy with school, orchestra, and getting settled. I promise that I will get chapters finished as soon as I physically can. All that I ask is that you bear with me. Come November, I warn you, I will not be posting through the month, because I will be starting a writing competition, in which I have to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. I hope that I can find more time to write Encore Lover, because I feel that it's going to be getting really good here. _

_Thanks for reading, guys!_

_~voodooprincess1331 _


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